The Light at the End of the Tunnel
by MissHeatherMichelle
Summary: Brittany runs into someone from her past she thought she'd never see again-Santana. Santana has been through many things in her life and is left broken. Brittany's family takes the girl in, and tries to help her heal. Brittana
1. Chapter 1

**The Light At The End Of The Tunnel  
>Chapter One<strong>

**Year: 2012  
><strong>  
>Brittany S. Pierce makes her way down the hallway of McKinley High, with a bright smile across her face. She walks down the rows of lockers, smiling and waving to random students who lurked in the hallway. Brittany was one of the most popular girls in school, and it wasn't because she had basically bitched her way up the latter like her best friend Quinn had.<p>

Brittany honestly didn't care about popularity; she had just somehow gotten there. She was a naturally friendly person; she talked to anyone who was willing. She had once held an hour long conversation with a deaf kid who sat next to her, not even realizing he hadn't heard a word she had said, or even realized she had been talking to him.

She was one of the sweetest girls in the school, and therefore everyone loved her. Her best friend Quinn had even persuaded her freshman year to try out for cheerios. She wasn't too sure at first, because the coach scared her, but as soon as she discovered how much dancing was involved; she fell in love. She had of course made it with ease; being a natural dancer, and was one of the best on the squad. Coach Sylvester told her she would have been captain before Quinn, if she'd only grow a backbone. Coach needed someone ruthless, and that just wasn't Brittany.

However, Brittany didn't care about being captain; she just wanted to dance.

She spots Quinn leaning up against her locker talking to Noah Puckerman, who was hovering over her dangerously close. Brittany knew Quinn couldn't stand the boy, but she also knew Quinn wouldn't tell him off because she knew it would ruin her popularity. If there was one thing Quinn cared about it was her popularity. Puck was one of the most popular guys in the school, and rejecting him would be like throwing yourself under a bus.

"Hey Quinn." Brittany smiles as she approaches her own locker that was a few down from the other blonde. "Puck." She says, her voice slightly less cheerful as she greeted the boy with the mohawk. She wasn't a fan of the boy; he was always making fun of her because she sometimes didn't understand things, or would have random answers to things. He said he was doing it in good fun, but it still hurt. Quinn told her he only did it because he was mad Brittany had refused his offer when he asked her out.

Both Quinn and Puck look over at Brittany, hearing their names being called, Quinn smiling brightly at her best friend, "Hey Brittany." Quinn greets as Puck stands up straight, giving Quinn some of her personal space back. "What are you doing this weekend?" Quinn asks, turning to lean on her shoulder so she was facing Brittany more as she spoke to her.

"I'll see you guys later." Puck says cutting Brittany off before she even had a chance to speak. He gives Quinn one last look before turning down the hallway, catching up with Sam who had just walked out of a classroom.

Quinn turns her attention back to Brittany after Pucks exit, waiting on her to respond to her previous question. "Oh um I'm not really sure. Probably hang out with Artie." Brittany says with a shrug, making Quinn's face scrunch up in what looked like disgust.

"You're still dating him?" She asks, making Brittany roll her eyes. It was no secret that Quinn wasn't fond of her dating Artie, and she had no problem showing her distaste for couple either. Brittany just lets out a sigh, and nods her head not looking over at her best friend as she placed some things in her locker. "Why?" Quinn asks, clearly confused to as why Brittany would be dating the kid in the wheel chair. "You're like the most popular girl in school." Quinn says, only to pause for a second, "After me of course." She adds with a shrug as if it was obvious. Brittany gives Quinn an unimpressed look and the blonde continues, "You could have any guy you want, and you choose him?"

Brittany slams her locker door shut and turns to Quinn, placing a hand on her hip, "Yes I do." she says simply as Quinn just looks at her, waiting on her to give her a reason. "He's nice." She says in a soft tone. "I don't understand a lot of things he says, but he's sweet and he actually likes me. He doesn't just want me for sex like all other guys here." She says folding her arms over her chest.

Quinn looks at the blonde for a moment before slowly nodding her head, "Yeah, okay." She says with a shrug, accepting the answer. "Come on let's go to practice." Quinn says, making Brittany nod her head and follow her best friend down the hallway.

SXB

Brittany walks out of the cheerio's locker room; her bag on her shoulder, and almost collides into Artie. "Oh hey." She says with a smile as he immediately grins back at her.

"Hey, I was just looking for you." He states as they begin making their way down the empty hallway.

"Well here I am." Brittany says simply as they round the corner, headed for the blonde's locker. "How was your AV club meeting?" Brittany asks while stopping in front of her locker to open it up.

Artie stops his chair next to her, and hits the lock on the wheels before looking up at her, replying, "It was really good." He says simply. He had learned a long time ago to spare her the details of the meetings, because she had no idea what he was talking about, and frankly didn't care. "How was practice?" he asks her in return.

A thoughtful look spreads across the blondes face for a brief moment before she continues her task, "It was good, tiring as always." She says with a shrug, glancing down at him before continuing to stuff books into her bag that she would need for homework. Although she probably wouldn't end up doing it anyways; she never understood it. Even when Artie would help her, he just ended up doing it for her not having the patience to keep trying to teach it to her.

"Are you hungry? We could go by breadstix." He suggests with a shrug as he watches her zip up her bag, and close her locker door before turning to look at him.

Brittany throws her bag over her shoulder and nods her head, "Yeah i'm starving." She says as he nods, and unlocks the wheels of his chairs. Brittany smiles at him and grabs the handles of his chair, wheeling him out the door. "Could we maybe go to the park afterwards?" She asks him as they make their way out of the school and down the ramp to the parking lot.

Artie looks back at her curiously, "Why?" He says with a small laugh, not understanding why she'd want to go to a park filled with kids running around.

Brittany shrugs even though Artie had already turned around and couldn't see her, "I don't know. It's a pretty day, and I haven't been in awhile." She says in a small voice, a little embarrassed now by her request.

Artie lets out a sigh, and an eye roll knowing his girlfriend couldn't see his face at the moment, "Sure I guess we can for a little while." He replies, making her frown quickly turn into a smile as she shrieks in happiness. Artie tries to hold back another eye roll at his girlfriends childlike behavior. He found it cute sometimes, but other times it was too much. Like now when he just wanted to go to his house and play halo the rest of the afternoon instead of spending it at a park filled with delinquents.

SXB

Later that afternoon, Brittany made her way inside the gates wheeling her boyfriend, in front of her. She had a huge grin plastered across her face as they made their way down the side walk towards the swings. She stops his wheelchair next to the post and makes her way over to the closest swing, and sits down.

Gripping the chain with her hands she pushes off with her feet to get herself going, before pumping with her legs. She looks over at her boyfriend who was grinning at her as she let out a squeal of excitement. She pumps her legs even harder making herself go as high as she could; her childlike smile never faltering. "It feels like i'm flying!" She screams, putting both of her arms out to the side, and closes her eyes.

Artie's smile falters slightly as he watches her swing that high without hanging on, "Britt, please don't fall." He says, folding his arms over his chest. He knew she was having fun, and he was happy for that, but her childlike antics sometimes got to him.

Brittany opens her eyes back up and looks over at him, before putting her hands back on the chains. "You're no fun." She states as she slows herself down. She drags her feet across the ground a few times, completely stopping herself and looks over at him.

He just rolls his eyes at the blonde, but smiles softly at her. "I'm sorry I don't want you killing yourself." He replies sarcastically, making her just look over at him, tilting her head to the side slightly.

A smile just grows on the blonde's face, before she jumps up out of the swing, and runs over to the playground, climbing up on the first platform. "I used to come here like everyday when I was little." She tells the boy as he rolls over to her.

Artie just looks up and watches her with an amused look on his face as she runs around the playground like a child. Surprisingly there was hardly anyone else in the park, but it was probably because the sun had just began to set.

Brittany crouches down to crawl through one of the tunnels but stops abruptly when she sees someone already occupying it. She crawls a little closer and tilts her head to get a better look at the figure. It was a girl lying in the tunnel with dark hair sprawled all across her face. She seemed to be sleeping by the way her chest was slowly rising and falling.

Artie rolls around the playground searching for the blonde who had suddenly become quiet, and sees her crouched down looking inside the tunnel; her eyes scrunched in confusion. "Britt?" He asks carefully, making his way over to her, the best he could in the mulch beneath his chair.

Brittany hears Artie calling her name, but doesn't even think to answer him as she continues staring at the figure in the tunnel, deciding on what to do. She reaches out to gently touch the girl, but before she could the girl rolls over onto her back, making Brittany jump back slightly.

She sits as still as possible and watches as the girls chest begins rising slowly once again, signaling she was back asleep. Brittany looks up at the girls face and her eyes widen in shock and her mouth hangs open slightly. "Britt, you okay?" She hears Artie ask from behind her.

She turns around to see him staring at her in concern, but she turns her attention back to the girl in the tunnel, ignoring him, "Santana?" She asks, making the girl in the tunnel awake, and jump up quickly, bumping her head on the top of the tunnel in the process.

"Ow!" The brunette exclaims, bringing her hand up to rub over the now growing bump on her head. She looks up and meets Brittany's wide eyes as hers also widen in surprise. "Brittany." She breaths out as the two just stare at each other, trying to comprehend what was going on.

"Do you know her?" Artie asks, finally seeing the girl in the tunnel now that she was sitting up. He looks over at his girlfriend confused, and she just looks back at him, opening her mouth to speak, but quickly closes it back not knowing what to say.

Santana snaps out of her trance after hearing the boys voice, and she looks down at him. She gives him a good look over before turning back to Brittany. She didn't know who he was, but she knew she already didn't like him. Santana quickly scoots out of the tunnel and sits directly in front of Brittany.

The smile that had been present on the blonde's face quickly fades as she takes in Santana's appearance. "What happened?" The blonde asks softly, letting her fingers gently brush over a dark bruise on Santana's right eye.

Santana grabs Brittany's hand and brings it away from her face, "I was just out here sleeping and some kids nailed me with a baseball. Not the safest place to sleep." She says with a small laugh, making Brittany smile.

"Wait? You're sleeping here again?" Brittany asks with a frown, as Santana just nods her head in response, looking down at the plastic beneath her. Brittany studies the girl for a few moments, chewing on her bottom lip as the wheels in her head begin to turn. She jumps up onto her feet, making Santana jump back slightly and look up at her confused. "You're coming with me." Brittany states, offering the Latina her hand.

Artie's eyes widen behind her along with Santana's, "Britt I don't think that is a good idea." Artie states, making the blonde turn to look at him along with Santana.

Santana tries her best to hold back a scowl, and turns her attention back to Brittany and smiles softly, "He's right Brittany." She says softly, making the boy smile proudly. "Thank you, but i'll be fine here. I can't do that to you again."

Brittany's eyebrows scrunch in confusion as she looks down at the Latina. "No!" She finally says loudly, making both Santana and Artie look up at her slightly shocked by her outburst. "You're coming with me." She says firmly, folding her arms over her chest. She sounded like a child who was protesting eating their vegetables, and Santana couldn't help but smile at the girl.

Santana lets out a sigh, and stands up, "Fine, but just for a couple of nights, okay? Until I figure out where to go next." She says, making the blonde's frown quickly turn into a smile.

"Okay." The blonde replies with a firm head nod. She then holds her hand up with her pinkie sticking straight up, and looks over at Santana expectantly.

The Latina can't help the smile that erupts on her face as she links her pinkie with Brittany's; a warm feeling quickly taking over her entire body at the contact.

Brittany jumps off the platform, dragging Santana down with her; the huge grin still plastered across her face. She drags the Latina down the sidewalk towards her car, with Artie slowly rolling behind them, eying Santana the whole way. He wasn't sure who this girl was or how Brittany knew her, but he knew he already didn't like her.

SXB

Brittany pulls her car up to Artie's house and puts it into park, before stepping out of the drivers seat. "I'll just be a second." She tells the dark haired girl in the back seat who just nods in response. Brittany smiles and moves around to the back, opening up the trunk retrieving Artie's wheelchair out of the backseat.

She unfolds it and wheels it around to the passenger side of the car, where Artie had already opened the door. Brittany reaches out for him and picks him up, helping him into his chair. Once situated she closes the passenger door and wheels him to the front door.

Santana gets out of the backseat of the car, and leans up against the side as she watches Brittany and Artie at the door. The boy was saying something to her, and Santana figured it was about her, because he seemed to be lecturing Brittany, and he glanced over at Santana briefly before continuing. Santana just rolled her eyes, giving him her best scowl before he quickly looked away from her.

Brittany gets down on her knees and places her hands on either of his knees, saying something that made him let out a sigh, but eventually smile at her. Santana saw Brittany lean in placing a kiss on his lips, and had to fight hard from puking right there in his yard, although she wouldn't really mind to be honest.

She rolls her eyes and opens up the passenger side door, before climbing in, not wanting to witness the two of them any longer. She wasn't sure why she already didn't like him. He just didn't seem good enough for Brittany; of course nobody did.

After making sure Artie had safely made it inside his house, Brittany makes her way back to her car, sliding into the drivers seat, looking over at Santana. The Latina had her arms crossed tightly across her chest as she stared straight in front of her. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again." Brittany says quietly, making Santana look over at her.

"Yeah, me either." Santana replies simply, turning her gaze back to the road. Brittany watches her for a few more seconds before putting her car into drive, and heads down the road towards her house.

After pulling up in her driveway, Brittany steps out of the car, and starts making her way to the front door when she realizes Santana was not following her. She turns around to see the Latina still sat in the car.

Frowning, the blonde makes her way to the car, and knocks on the window, making Santana look up at her. Brittany opens up the door, realizing Santana had no intentions of doing it herself, and stares down at the girl. "Santana what's the matter?" Brittany asks confused.

Santana stares blankly at the house for a few moments before softly rasping out her response, "I can't go in there." She says quietly, confusing the blonde even more.

"Why not?" She asks simply. Santana ignores Brittany and just continues to stare blankly at the front door, tightening her arms around herself even more. Brittany kneels down, getting to the Latina's level, and tilts her head to the side, studying her. "Tana, what's the matter?" Brittany asks softly, using the nickname she'd giving the brunette when they were younger.

Hearing Brittany use her nickname, made the warm tingly sensation float within Santana; the feeling she hadn't felt in years. She looks back over at Brittany with watery eyes, and the blonde just scrunches her eyebrows up in confusion. She wasn't sure why Santana refused to go inside of her house.

Santana leans over to the blonde and wraps her arms around Brittany's neck, pulling her into a tight embrace, causing Brittany to slightly lose her balance. She hears Santana sniffle into her neck, and quickly brings her hand up, running it through black locks, "Hey, it's okay." Brittany says soothingly, trying to calm the distressed girl down.

Realizing she was breaking down before the blonde, Santana quickly pulls back, wiping away her tears, mentally kicking herself for letting Brittany see her like this. "I'm sorry." She whispers, her voice scratchy from the crying.

"Hey, don't be sorry." Brittany says, reaching out to run her fingers through the girls dark locks once again. "You have nothing to be sorry for." She adds looking at Santana firmly. Santana looks up meeting Brittany's ocean blue eyes, and just nods her head in response. "Come on, let's go inside. It's okay." Brittany assures her, standing back up, offering her hand out to Santana.

Santana looks down at the blonde's hand and with a deep intake of breath, takes Brittany's hand in her own, and gets out of the car. Brittany laces their fingers together and pulls Santana to the front door, dragging her inside.

"Mom? Dad?" Brittany yells, pulling Santana around the house like a rag doll in search of her parents.

"Brittany really, I don't think this is a good idea." Santana says, making Brittany stop, and turn to her. "I'll just go back to the park, I'll be fine really." She says, hoping the blonde would say yes, although she knew that would never happen.

Before Brittany had a chance to reply though, her mother walked into the room, "What's with all the yelling?" She asks looking over at her daughter, before turning her gaze to the girl that stood next to Brittany, making her eyes widen in shock. "Santana?" She asks, staring at the girl in complete shock.

"Hi, Mrs. Pierce." Santana says awkwardly, averting her eyes to the ground as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.

Susan Pierce takes a few tentative steps closer to the girl, and she could see the Latina tense the closer she got, "What happened?" She whispers, placing her hand under Santana's chin, to bring her face up where she could inspect the purple bruise.

Santana opens her mouth to speak, but closes it averting her eyes once again, "I got hit with a baseball at the park." She replies, looking up at the woman briefly. Susan narrows her eyes at Santana, searching dark ones for more answers, making Santana look back down at the ground.

"She's sleeping there again mom." Brittany says, from behind the two of them. Susan looks back at Brittany before turning her gaze back to Santana with a heavy sigh, "She can stay here right?" Brittany asks hopefully.

Susan studies the brunette for a few moments before nodding her head, "Of course she can." She concludes with a firm nod. "You can stay in Emily's room since she's away at college." She says, making Brittany smile widely, and Santana just nod her head.

"Thank you." The Latina says, quietly but gratefully.

"Do you have any bags or anything?" Susan asks the Latina gently. She knew under the circumstances that Santana probably didn't have much with her, if she had anything at all.

Santana averts her gaze to the ground before shaking her head slowly, "I did, but…they got stolen." She says quietly, still looking down at the ground. She was too embarrassed to look at anyone. She hated having to mooch off of other people. She was already intruding by spending a few nights in their house, and now she had no clothes or anything.

"That's okay." Susan says placing a comforting hand on Santana's shoulder. The Latina slowly rises her head up to meet Susan's blue eyes that were staring at her with nothing but sincerity, calming her slightly. "Britt, why don't you take her upstairs and let her shower and find her some of your clothes?" She suggests moving her gaze over to her youngest daughter.

"Okay." Brittany says simply, with a nod of her head. She grabs Santana's hand in her own and pulls her up the staircase to her bedroom.

Susan watches the two girls retreat up the stairs and can't help but let out a heavy sigh as she tries to keep the tears from spilling out her of eyes. She hears Brittany's bedroom door open and close back, and she makes her way into the kitchen, wiping the lone tear from her cheek with a sniffle.

Upstairs Brittany leads Santana into her bedroom, and shuts the door behind them. She watches as Santana stands in the middle of the room, looking around awkwardly, taking in her surroundings, not exactly sure what to do or say next. "You're room hasn't changed much." Santana notes, still letting her eyes drift around the space, "Just a bigger bed." She adds with a small smile.

The blonde lets out a laugh, and nods her head, "Yeah." She says simply. Brittany walks over to her bathroom door and opens it, before turning back to Santana, "You can come take a shower, if you'd like. I'll find you some clothes." Brittany states as Santana silently nods her head and walks past the blonde into the bathroom.

Brittany shuts the door quietly behind Santana and walks over to her dresser in search of something that would fit the small Latina. She finally decides on looking for some sweat pants, figuring her jeans wouldn't fit the girl, considering she was a few inches taller, and bit more muscular. Santana was even skinnier now than she had remembered, which probably meant she hadn't been eating much lately.

Brittany hears the water in the bathroom turn on, and she carefully places the sweatpants on her bed before going back to find a tshirt. She pulls out a red cheerio's t-shirt and lies it on top of the black sweatpants. Satisfied with her selection she turns and walks out her bedroom door.

Brittany makes her way down the stairs and walks into the kitchen where she sees her mother, standing over the stove mixing something in a pot, and her sister, Ashley, standing nearby, watching, and munching on some of the uncut vegetables. She walks over to her mom and wraps her arms around the older woman's waist and places her chin on her mother's shoulder.

"Hey, I heard Santana is back." Ashley says, looking over at her baby sister. The youngest blonde simply nods her head silently. "Mom said you found her in the park again. That's crazy." She comments, her eyes widening slightly as she spoke about the incident.

"Is she showering?" Her mother asks, turning her head slightly to glance at her daughter. Brittany just silently nods her head against Susan's shoulder confirming the statement.

"What's she look like now? I haven't seen her in what? Like 7 years?" Ashley wonders aloud. "I bet she's hot. She was the cutest little kid." The girl asks with a smirk, making Brittany roll her eyes at her older sister.

Susan gives Ashley a stern look, before she goes back to her cooking, "Ash you sound like a pedophile." Brittany comments, glancing over at her sister briefly.

"I didn't say she was hot as a child." Ashley draws out, emphasizing her point, "She was a cute kid, one of those that you can tell will be really pretty when she grows up." The older blonde says, shrugging her shoulders.

Brittany simply rolls her eyes, and chooses to brush her sister off, turning her attention back to her mother's cooking. The three women fall into a silence the only sound being heard was Ashely munching loudly on a carrot while texting on her cell phone. Brittany had many things running through her head at the moment, but she wasn't sure how to word any of it, and even if she could figure out how to ask what she wanted, she knew her mother wasn't going to have any answers for her.

Brittany lets go of her mother and props herself up on the counter next to the stove, and lets out a sigh. "Mom, why do you think she was sleeping in the park again?" Brittany asks quietly, playing with her hands in her lap.

Susan stops cooking and turns towards her daughter whose big blue eyes were staring innocently at her, flooded with confusion and curiosity. "I don't know honey." Her mother says honestly, placing a comforting hand on Brittany's knee. "But she'll be okay." She says, in a soothing tone, trying her best to convince Brittany, and herself that Santana would in fact be okay. Although she wasn't quite sure if she would be. "I wonder how long she's been there." The blonde wonders aloud, and the question just seems to hang in the air, because neither knew the answer.

SXB

Freshly showered, Santana walks out of Brittany's bathroom with a towel wrapped snuggly around her body. She looks around the room for any sign on the bubbly blonde, but doesn't see her anywhere. She spots the clothes laid out on the bed, and walks over, picking up the shirt.

She lets the towel fall from her body and slips the red shirt over her head, before putting the rest of the articles of clothing on her body. She slips back into the bathroom and locates the hairdryer under the cabinet and plugs it in before blowdrying her dark locks.

Santana puts the hair dryer back where she had found it and throws her towel into the dirty hamper, being sure to put the bathroom exactly how she had found it. She already felt she was burdening the family, by staying there, she didn't want to leave a mess.

Satisfied with the bathroom she turns back towards the mirror, and looks at her reflection with a heavy sigh. She could barely stand to look at herself anymore. Her face was sunken in from the significant amount of weight she had lost from a lack of food, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Not to mention the purple bruise formed around her right eye.

Santana runs her fingers softly over the forming bruise, wincing slightly in pain before letting her hand drop back down to her side. Resisting the urge to punch her own reflection in the mirror, Santana turns and walks out of the bathroom turning off the light and closing the door behind her.

Santana makes her way slowly down the stairs, she hears whispering from in the kitchen and is almost positive they are talking about her. Making her presence known, she clears her throat before entering the kitchen, making all three women stop talking immediately and look over at her.

Brittany smiles brightly at her place on the counter, and Susan smiles softly before turning back to her task at hand. Santana's eyes then drift over to Brittany's sister who was staring at her intently, making her feel completely awkward. "Hey." Brittany finally says cheerfully, breaking the silence in the room, looking at the Latina, who just smiles softly at her.

"Are you hungry Santana? Dinner is almost ready." Susan says over her shoulder, glancing back at Santana briefly.

"Starving." Santana admits with a nod.

SXB

After dinner Brittany and Santana had migrated to the living room couch, and were currently watching That 70s show. Santana had been extremely quiet the entire night, and just sat idly at the dinner table listening to the Pierce family discuss their day.

Her mother and father had both tried asking Santana questions, but she had answered them vaguely and shortly, before averting her eyes away from them, not wanting to talk about herself, which her parents had respected, and eventually left the girl alone.

Brittany wanted to talk to her, and ask her where she had been all these years, and what had happened as to why she was back in that park, but she was scared. She knew Santana long enough to know she didn't like talking about feelings, and also Brittany wasn't sure if she wanted to hear. Seeing Santana have a mini break down in the car earlier had torn her up. She wasn't sure if she could handle anything more than that.

The blonde looks on the other side of the couch where Santana was curled up against the arm, hugging one of Brittany's sweatshirts close to her body as her eyes stared blankly at the television. Brittany could tell although the Latina was looking at the TV, she wasn't actually watching; her mind was elsewhere. Brittany wasn't sure where that was, but she partially wanted to know. "Santana?" Brittany asks quietly, making Santana slowly pick her head up off the arm rest, and look over at her.

Brittany opens her mouth up to speak, but closes it back, not knowing exactly how to approach this question. She actually had many questions running through her mind, but she just didn't know how to ask her.

Santana studies the blonde's face for a few moments, before clearing her throat, and standing up. She looks back down at Brittany who was now looking at her confused at the sudden movement, "I'm tired. I'm going to go to bed." The brunette says, stretching her arms over her head as she lets out a small yawn. "Night."

Brittany just nods her head weekly, offering the Latina a smile, "Goodnight." She replies softly as she watches Santana walk away from her, "Santana." She calls out suddenly, making the Latina stop, and turn to look at her, "I'm glad you're here." Brittany says quietly, averting her eyes to the ground, feeling self conscious about her statement.

Santana smiles softly at the blonde, "I told you that I'd always come back to you." Santana replies making Brittany look back up to see Santana smiling warmly at her and the blonde returns a bright smile.

Santana then turns on her heel, and Brittany watches her retreat up the stairs to her sisters bedroom. She stared blankly at the staircase the Latina had just walked up, and couldn't help but think of the first time she ever met Santana. It was like deja vu.

**Okay so story will get angsty! Let me know please if you think I should continue! :)  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**The Light At The End Of The Tunnel **  
><strong>Chapter 2 <strong>

**Year: 2000**

**Thank you guys so much for the awesome review! I'm glad you're interested so far! Hopefully you still are after this chapter! :)**

Susan Pierce walked into her daughter's room and couldn't help but laugh at the sight before her. Her youngest daughter Brittany was sitting on the floor in the middle of her room staring at her shoe laces with utter concentration on her face; her tongue sticking out of her mouth slightly as she tried tying the laces to no avail. Her shirt was also placed on her inside out as a result of her insisting she dress herself today. "Let me help you." Susan says softly, kneeling down to her daughter's level. She takes the laces out of Brittany's small hands and begins tying them as Brittany just pouts at her.

"I wanted to do it." She whines folding her arms tightly across her chest as she watches her mother finish tying up the laces.

Susan looks up at her daughter and can't help but let out a giggle at the smaller girls face. "I know baby, but we need to get going if you want to have time to play before we go pick your sisters up from school." She tells the younger girl before pulling the shirt over her head. Brittany just looks at her confused and Susan simply smiles at her while turning the shirt right side out and puts it back on her. "There. Are you ready?" She asks, standing back up on her feet. Brittany also gets to her feet and nods her head making Susan smile down at her. "Okay, let's go."

They make their way into the park; Brittany dragging her mother behind her trying to get her to speed up. "Mommy, come on!" The younger blonde whines, tugging on Susan's hand as the park comes into view.

"Britt, baby slow down." Her mother says with a slight chuckle as she tries to keep up with her 5 year old. "The park will still be there." Her mother adds pulling back slightly on the small blonde trying to get her to slow down her fast pace.

They finally reach the park and Brittany's mother leads her over to a bench where she places the bag on her shoulder down before turning to her daughter who was about to make a run for the playground. She grips onto her hand before she could go and kneels down to her level. "I'll be right here baby. Go play and stay where I can see you." She tells her as Brittany just nods and rolls her eyes, trying to tug her hands away from her mother's grip so she could just go and play. They came to the park almost every day, and she gave her the same speech.

Susan lets go of Brittany's hand and before she could even blink the younger blonde was headed for the playground making her chuckle softly. She watches as Brittany climbs onto the jungle gym before sitting down on the bench opening up her bag that was next to her. She pulls her latest novel out and flips to the page with her bookmarker and begins reading.

Brittany climbs up the latter and crawls onto the first platform, looking around deciding which direction she was going to go for next. She walks across the wobbly bridge and kneels down to crawl through the tunnel when she sees a girl already inside just lying there. Tilting her head to the side in confusion Brittany stares at the little girl who seemed to be sleeping. She reaches out and taps the girl on her leg, making the small figure jump at the touch.

The girl in the tunnel sits up quickly banging her head against the top of the tunnel in the process. "Are you okay?" Brittany asks shyly, looking at the darker haired girl in front of her.

The brunette looks over at Brittany, rubbing her forehead and just nods with a scowl, "Fine, no thanks to you." She says before crawling out the tunnel on the opposite side from Brittany.

Brittany's eyebrows scrunch up in confusion and she crawls through the tunnel following the Latina out the other side where she sees her now climbing on the monkey bars. "I'm Brittany." The blonde introduces, as the darker girl just looks at her uninterested. "What's your name?" Brittany asks, walking under the bars where the darker haired girl was dangling upside down.

The girl looks at Brittany for a moment before pulling herself up, sitting on top of the bars. "Santana." She finally answers after a brief debate on whether or not she should talk to this girl.

"Do you want to play with me Santana?" Brittany asks with a bright and hopeful smile looking up at the Latina. Santana studies the blonde for a few moments before shrugging her shoulders, and jumping off of the monkey bars in front of Brittany. There weren't many kids here she wanted to play with, but for some reason Brittany was an exception. Santana didn't understand why, but she felt the need to play with her, and too not disappoint her.

A few hours later Brittany hears her mother yelling at her from her spot on the bench. She stops running and looks over at the woman who was motioning to her that it was time to go. She lets a frown form on her face as she feels someone collide into her. "You're it." Santana says with a giggle, poking Brittany's side. She notices the blonde's frown and follows Brittany's gaze over to the woman motioning her towards them. "Is that your mom?" Santana asks as her smile begins to fade also.

"Yeah I have to go now." Brittany says sadly, her bottom lip starting to poke out.

Santana turns her attention away from Susan and looks over at her new blonde friend, "I don't want you to leave." She says seriously as she looks down at the ground, kicking at the dirt with her tennis shoe.

"I don't want to leave either." Brittany agrees turning to her friend. "But I'll be back tomorrow. Will you be here?" She asks hopefully, her face lighting up slightly at the thought of seeing the girl again tomorrow.

"I'll probably be here." Santana says with a slight nod, still looking down at the ground where she was burying a rock in the sand with her shoe.

Brittany smiles brightly at her friend, and pulls her into a tight hug, surprising Santana. The brunette's eyes widen, and she hesitantly places her arms around the blonde, before smiling, and relaxing into the embrace. A couple of seconds later Brittany pulls back and smiles at Santana once again before bouncing off towards her mother, who was waiting impatiently on her daughter.

BXS

Later that night Brittany sat at the dinner table with her parents and her two older sisters as they were chatting away about their day. Her oldest sister was talking about some boy that she liked which made her grimace at the thought. Boys were gross, and she didn't understand how her sister would like a boy and want to kiss one.

"How was your day Brittany?" Her father asks with a smile looking down at his youngest daughter who was picking at her Mac and cheese in thought.

She breaks all the thoughts she had running through her head at that moment and looks up at her dad, "I made a new friend." She says with a smile reaching from cheek to cheek, her bright blue eyes shining.

"Oh yeah? What's your friend's name?" He asks before taking a bite of his chicken.

"Santana." Brittany says, her smile never fading from her face at the mention of her newest friend. She had only met her earlier today but she already felt this girl was her best friend. "She's my best friend." She informs them with a firm head nod, making them all smile at her adorableness.

"I think Brittany has a girlfriend." Her older sister, Emily teases, only to receive stern looks from both of her parents and an elbow nudged into her side by the eldest daughter. "Sorry." the older blonde mumbles under her breath, looking down at her plate.

During all of this Brittany just had her head down picking at her food in thought. She hadn't thought about it before, but it kind of made sense. Her mother always told her when she got older she'd find someone that she really liked and she would want to date them just like her sisters, and she really liked Santana, so it made sense right?

SXB

Brittany climbed into her bed that night, after brushing her teeth and putting her pjs on. She crawled under the covers and curled up just as her mother walked into the room. "Hey baby you all ready for bed?" Susan asks with a smile, making her way over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it.

Brittany nods her head in response and Susan smiles, reaching over brushing a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "Are we going back to the park tomorrow?" Brittany asks giving her best puppy dog eyes.

Susan lets out a chuckle and nods her head, "Yes we can go to the park tomorrow but it may be a little later because I have some errands to run." She informs her daughter, reaching over grabbing the girl's stuffed duck. Brittany's smile widens as she takes the duck from her mother and cuddles up to it. "Is your new friend going to be there?" Susan asks with a knowing smile. Brittany was always excited about going to the park, but she was even more enthusiastic than normal.

Brittany smiles sheepishly and nods her head, "I think I want her to be my girlfriend." She says, making Susan's eyes widen slightly at the confession. "I mean you said that I would find someone I like and I like Santana." She explains as Susan just nods her head.

"Okay sweetie, if that's what you want." Her mother tells her with an amused smile. "Now get some sleep." She adds, leaning down placing a kiss on her youngest daughters forehead.

SXB

Brittany and her mother make their way into the park later that afternoon. Brittany was practically running once again dragging her mother behind her. They were there a lot later than normal and she was afraid that Santana wouldn't be there still, so she needed to get there as fast as possible.

They finally reach the playground and Brittany spots Santana on one of the swings pushing herself as high as she could go. A smile erupts on the blonde's face and she doesn't even hear what her mother was saying to her, but she felt her mom finally let go of her hands, and she ran towards the swings. "Hey." Brittany says, leaning up against the post as her head moves back and forth watching the Latina swing.

Santana looks down at the blonde and smiles, but doesn't slow down her motions. "I feel like I'm flying!" She yells spreading her arms out wide as she flew through the air. Brittany let out a giggle but couldn't help but be nervous as the girl continued swinging high without holding on.

"You're going to fall." The blonde says, making Santana look over and her, and place her hands back on the chains. She stops moving her legs and eventually the swing slows down to a stop, and Santana stands up walking over to the girl.

"What do you wanna play?" Santana asks the taller blonde who just shrugs. "Do you want to swing? I can push you." She suggests making Brittany look over at the swing Santana had just occupied.

"Okay." She agrees, sitting down on the black leather, gripping the chains tightly in her hands. Santana gets behind her and begins pushing her into the air as Brittany's grip tightens. "Not too high." The blonde shouts over her shoulder.

Santana laughs but eases her pushes slightly, "I won't let anything happen to you." The Latina assures her as she slowly begins making the blonde go higher once again. This time the blonde doesn't say anything and just lets Santana push her through the air higher and higher.

A few more pushes on the swings and a game of tag later, the girls were sat down at the top of the jungle gym, letting their feet dangle over the edge where the fireman's pole was. A couple of kids had come over, wanting to slide down, but Santana had told them to get lost. "Santana?" Brittany asks after a few minutes of silence, looking over at her new friend.

"Yeah?" The Latina responds, still watching the other kids running around below them.

Brittany suddenly feels tingles in her stomach, and isn't really sure what was causing them or what they were. She takes in a deep breath, and wonders why this was so hard? "I want you to be my girlfriend." She breaths out quickly, making Santana's head snap around to look at her.

"Isn't it supposed to be like boyfriend and girlfriend?" The brunette asks as her eyebrows scrunch together in confusion.

Brittany just shrugs and looks down at the ground beneath them. "My mommy told me that if you like someone you should ask them, and I like you." Brittany says simply, looking back over at Santana. "Do you like me?" Brittany asks innocently, a pout forming on her lips at the thought of Santana saying no.

"Yeah I do." Santana says with a firm head nod, after a few brief seconds of thinking the question over. "I want you to be my girlfriend too." She adds without hesitation, looking over to meet Brittany's ocean blue eyes, smiling at her. "So what now?" Santana asks unsurely. She had never had a girlfriend before, and she wasn't sure what they were supposed to do.

"I don't know." Brittany says honestly. Santana looks back over at the girl and they both let out giggles. "We can go play?" Brittany suggests, making Santana nod, and stand up from her spot. She reaches her hand down for Brittany to take, and helps her up.

Another hour later the sun was beginning to set and Susan makes her way over to the two girls who were currently playing in the sand box. She leans down to their level and smiles over at Santana, "Is this Santana?" She asks, making Brittany nod. "Nice to meet you Santana I'm Brittany's mommy." She introduces.

"Hi." Santana says with a shy smile, before turning back to their task at hand. She knew building a castle in dry sand wasn't going to work, but Brittany wanted one so she was determined.

"Britt, baby it's time to go, it's about to be dark." Susan tells her daughter placing a hand on her back. She knew Brittany was going to be upset, but they had been there longer than usual, letting her play with her new friend. Brittany lets out a whine and looks up at her mother with a pout just as Susan had anticipated. "Don't look at me like that Britt." She says, pointing a finger at her daughter who just continues giving her the puppy dog eyes. Susan chooses to ignore her daughter and looks around the park noticing they were the only three left. "Santana where are your parents?" She asks curiously, and slightly worried, looking over at the small Latina.

Santana shrugs her shoulders not looking away from the castle. "They went to the grocery store." She informs Susan as she continues pilling sand into a bucket.

"Well how long ago did they leave? Or did they say when they'd be back? It's about to be dark." Her mother says, her eyebrows scrunching up in confusion. She couldn't understand why any parent would leave their 5 year old unattended at a park while they went grocery shopping.

"They didn't say." Santana says, looking over at the older woman. "They've been gone a couple of days." She replies before turning her attention back to the collapsing castle with a frown.

Susan's eyes almost bulge out of her head at the statement, "Days? What do you mean days?" she asks concerned.

"It's been night time twice since they left. I slept in the tunnel." Santana informs her pointing over to the jungle gym to their left.

Susan's eyes once again almost bulge out of her head and she felt her breathing stop at the declaration. "Baby why don't you come home with us for the night. You can sleep in Brittany's bed." She says, placing a hand on the small Latina's back.

Santana shakes her head and looks back up at the woman. "I can't, I have to be here when they come back." She says, making Susan's heart sink into her stomach.

"We can leave them a note." Brittany chimes in with a smile, making Santana look over at her. "Right mom? That's what you do if you go somewhere when nobody is home, so that they'll know when they get back." Brittany explains, looking over at her mother.

Susan looks at her daughter for a moment before turning her attention over to Santana as she tried hard to fight off the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Yeah baby, we can leave a note." She says, going along with her daughter. "Good idea sweetie." She says offering the girl the best smile she could muster up. She turns her attention back to Santana who was grinning widely at Brittany, nodding her head also, signaling she approved.

Susan stands up from the sand box and grabs both girls hands leading them over to the bench where she had her bag. She pulls out a piece of paper and scribbles a few words down on it, showing it to both girls although they couldn't read. Brittany grabs it from her hand and both girls run over to the playground. Susan watches as Santana places the piece of paper down on the first platform with a smile, and she can't help but feel the tears well up in her eyes.

Her parents had abandoned her.

SXB

Santana makes her way into the Pierces kitchen where she sees Susan buzzing around, making her way to and from the kitchen and dining room as she placed dinner on the table. She saw Brittany's father make his way into the dining room and take his place and the head of the table as she felt someone bump into her.

Startled the brunette jumps around where she sees Brittany's two older sisters, Emily and Ashley breeze past her; the oldest pushing the middle child getting her to move faster. She watches the two of them sit down on one side of the table. She immediately smiles when her eyes land on Brittany who was carrying a bowl of green beans carefully to the table from the kitchen, and place them on the table with the help of her father.

Santana watches as Brittany crawls up into one of the chairs, and hears her stomach growling rather loudly. She hadn't eaten much over the past two days. She had stolen some kids sandwich in the park yesterday, but that's all she'd had since her parents dropped her off.

She continues standing silently in the doorway unnoticed as she watches the family gather around the table; the sisters already fixing their plate, and Brittany's father helping her to fix her own. "Santana, come on sweetie." The small Latina hears Brittany's mother's voice say, making her look up at the older woman who was about to sit in her seat at the other end of the table. "Come sit by Brittany." She says, pulling the empty chair out for the small girl.

Santana smiles and quickly makes her way over to the chair, crawling up into it. She looks over at Brittany and smiles at the blonde before turning her attention to the food in front of her. She subconsciously licked her lips as she looked over the spread on the table. She reaches out for the spoon that stuck out of the mashed potatoes, but her fingertips just barely hit it, causing it to move to the side, further out of reach. "Here let me help you." Susan says, picking up the Latina's plate.

Santana watches the older woman as she piles the plate high with all the different foods on the table. She smiles gratefully when the woman places the plate back in front of her. "Thank you." She replies shyly as the older woman just nods, and goes back to her own plate.

Santana looks down at her plate briefly, once again licking her lips, before picking up her fork, digging into the delicious meal.

The Pierce family were enjoying their meal and indulging in conversation, but Santana hadn't heard a word the family had said. It wasn't that she was bored and tuning them out; she was just too concentrated on eating. She hadn't eaten in days, and even when she was with her parents; they never cooked like this. Within minutes the small girl had cleaned her plate completely, and was trying to scrape up more with her fork.

Brian, Brittany's father had seemed to notice, and couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Santana, sweetie would you like more?" He asks, making the rest of the family look over at the now blushing Latina.

"Yes please." Santana says shyly, ducking her head. Susan lets out a chuckle and places a few more pieces of chicken and a little bit of everything else on the girl's plate. She watches as Santana immediately digs into her seconds, and can't help but feel her heart ache. She just couldn't comprehend how anyone could leave their daughter at a park somewhere with no intentions of ever coming back; leaving her with no food or shelter, and psycho's.

"So Santana, do you know your last name?" Brian asks, looking over at the small Latina who was stuffing mac and cheese into her mouth.

The small brunette looks up at him and nods proudly. "Santana Maria Lopez." She says with a smile and mouthful of macaroni and cheese.

"What about your mommy or daddy? Do you know their names?" Susan asks glancing over at her husband before smiling down at the girl. She was trying to make it come off as lightly as possibly, not wanting to upset the younger girl. But she wanted to know who her parents were so she could do something about the situation.

"My mommy's name is Anna, and my daddy's name is Santos." She replies once again with a proud nod, for knowing and remembering the information. She wasn't upset at the mention of her parents because she still believed they would be returning.

Later that night Susan whizzed around the kitchen cleaning up as Brian sat at the table watching his wife. He knew she was upset about everything and was just trying to busy herself, so she didn't have to deal with it. "Honey." He says, trying to catch her attention. She just hums in response as she continues her many tasks around the kitchen. "What did the police say?" He asks, making her stop and look over at him.

Susan lets out a sigh and sits down the stack of dirty dishes before making her way over to the kitchen table, sitting down next to her husband. "I gave them the names. They're going to look up the address and check it out." She says, running her fingers through her hair. "I just don't understand how someone could do this." She says as tears begin filling her eyes.

Brian lets out a sigh and scoots his chair closer to his wife, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I don't either honey." He says before placing a kiss on the top of her head. "I couldn't imagine leaving our kids." He says as tears begin to brim his own eyes at the thought of it.

"It took some convincing, but I talked them into letting her stay here until they check out her home." The woman informs in, and he can only nod in agreement and offer her a small watery smile. That was a plus, at least the poor girl wasn't going to have to be put in the system just yet. The two of them fall into a silence for a few minutes before Susan breaks it, "I'm going to go tuck them into bed." She says, as s he wipes the tears from her eyes. He just nods his head as he watches her walk out of the kitchen.

Susan walks into Brittany's bedroom where she sees Santana sitting at the small table in the middle of the blonde's room, and Brittany standing at her play kitchen cooking something. She watches them a moment and notices a baby doll in the high chair next to Santana as the small Latina fed her some fake baby food.

She watches as Brittany puts some fake waffles onto a plate and makes her way over to the table placing them on top as Santana smiles at her. "Here you go sweetie." The blonde says, before taking a seat on the other side of the high chair. Santana smiles at Brittany before pretending to eat the plastic waffles.

Susan can't help the smile from forming on her face as she watched the two of them. "What are you guys doing?" she finally asks, making her presence known.

The two girls look up at her, beaming. "We're playing house. Me and Santana are married, and this is our baby." Brittany says, motioning to the doll in the high chair that was slumped forward in its seat.

Susan lets out a chuckle, looking between the two girls, "I see." She says with a nod. "Well, I think it's about time for bed." She says, her tone turning more firm. Brittany frowns but nods her head, knowing that there was no point in arguing with her mother. She'd tried that, and failed many times.

A few minutes later both girls were in their pj's, teeth brushed, lying in Brittany's bed. Susan hands the blonde her stuffed duck and smiles when the blonde clutches it tightly to her chest with a smile. "Night baby. I love you." Susan says leaning in to place a kiss on the blonde's forehead. "Night Santana." She says before reaching over placing a kiss on the Latina's forehead also.

"Night." Both girls say in unison as Susan stands up from the bed with a smile. "Mrs. Pierce?" Santana asks just as the woman was about to leave the room. She walks back over to the bed and sits on the side, nodding her head for Santana to continue. "When is my mommy and daddy going to come back?" she asks with a slight pout, making Susan's heart break into even smaller pieces.

She lets out a sigh and looks down on the ground, contemplating on what to say. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell Santana the truth, but she also knew she couldn't keep lying to her forever. "Santana, sweetie." Susan starts, reaching over to grab the Latina's hand. "I'm not sure if they are coming back." She says softly, as she watches the girl closely trying to read her face.

"What do you mean?" Santana asks innocently. Tears were beginning to fill her eyes as she waited on the women to further explain herself, although she knew deep down inside what the woman was saying.

"Why wouldn't they come back mommy?" Brittany asks, confused.

Susan breaks her gaze with Santana and looks down at her daughter whose bright blue orbs were looking up at her in confusion. How was she supposed to explain what was going on to 5 year olds. "I don't know honestly." Susan replies with a sigh, "But I know that sometimes grownups have a lot to deal with, and it gets to be too much." She says, hoping they wouldn't ask any more questions, considering she had no answers. "Just know, everything will be okay." She says, trying to reassure both girls. She reaches over and brushes some hair out of Santana's face as the small girl just nods at her.

BXS

Later that night Brittany's eyes shoot open as the sound of crying fills her ears. She rolls over onto her side coming face to face with Santana. Although it was dark and she couldn't see her, she knew the crying was coming from her, "Tana, what's wrong?" Brittany asks in a concerned tone. Santana doesn't respond and just continues sobbing into the blonde's pillow. "Did you have a bad dream?" She asks, only to get no response once again. "Here take Ballad, he always makes me feel better." Brittany says softly, offering out her stuffed duck.

Santana doesn't say anything, but takes the duck from Brittany's hands and holds it close to her chest, sobbing into his green fur. Without another word Brittany reaches out her hand, grabbing Santana's, lacing their fingers together.

SXB

Susan stands in the middle of the kitchen clutching a coffee cup tightly in her hand. It was early, and she was the only one in the house awake, and it had been that way for the past few hours. She'd started out in bed with her husband, but tossed and turned all night, not being able to get the thoughts of Santana out of her mind, and what was going to happen to her.

"Morning honey." A voice says, pulling her away from her thoughts. She looks up from the coffee she'd been staring deeply into as if it was going to tell her the answers to everything, and sees her husband walk in the room.

"Morning." She replies, mustering up the best smile she could.

He throws his suit jacket onto the back of a kitchen table chair, and walks over to her placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "How long have you been awake?" He asks, looking at her concerned. She looked absolutely exhausted, and her bright blue eyes were much dimmer than normal. He knew she'd been up worried about Santana, and he himself had to admit, he hadn't slept that well either.

Before Susan has a chance to reply to his question, the phone rings, making her break her gaze from him. She places her cup down and quickly makes her way over to the phone, already having a pretty good idea as to who it was. This was the phone call she'd been waiting on all morning.

Brian walks over to the cabinet and grabs a mug, and pours himself a cup of coffee. He turns around and leans up against the counter as he watches his wife talk on the telephone. He knew right away that it was the police, and he watched intently, trying to get some kind of idea as to what was going on, but he wasn't getting much, by just watching her.

After a few minutes she hangs up the phone, and lets out a deep sigh, dropping her head in defeat. She tries composing herself, before turning around to her husband, but it was no use and tears begin filling her eyes. "What happened honey?" He asks, moving quickly across the room to embrace her. "What did they say?" He asks, running his fingers through her hair as he held her close to his body.

Susan grips onto her husband and holds him tight, not saying a word. She just needed to be held for a few minutes, and let some of her pent up emotion out. After a few moments she takes in a deep breath, and pulls away from her husband, sniffling. "The house is empty. They're gone, and they took their clothes and everything with them." She informs him, making his eyes widen. He just couldn't fathom how anyone could completely abandon their child like this.

Brian lets out a heavy sigh, and runs his fingers through his short dirty blonde hair. After a second he lets his hand drop, and he looks over at his wife who had sat down at the table and was now staring back into her coffee cup. "What's going to happen now?" He asks in defeat.

"They have to put her in the system." She says, her voice cracking. Fresh tears were threatening to spill out of her eyes, and her husband quickly makes his way over to her, sitting in the chair next to her and wrapping his arms around her. "This isn't fair Brian." She whispers into his shoulder, "She is such a great kid; she doesn't deserve this." She adds, shaking her head.

"Of course she doesn't." He replies quickly, "But there isn't anything we can do." He adds in a mere whisper. He hated that there in fact wasn't anything they could do, but he knew it was true. They couldn't find her parents, and even if they did, they couldn't turn them into model parents, and they definitely couldn't rewind time, and prevent it from happening in the first place.

Susan breathes in heavily and buries her head into his neck, as he holds her close. They hear footsteps approaching them and the blonde woman quickly pulls away from her husband and wipes at her tears just as her two eldest daughters walk in the room. "Morning girls." Susan greets them with a smile as she stands up from her chair.

"What's going on?" Ashley immediately asks, taking in the features of her parents.

"Nothing sweetie." Susan replies placing a kiss on her daughters cheek. "Do you girls want some breakfast?" She asks, walking over to the fridge. Neither girl answers, but she begins pulling out numerous items to make a large breakfast.

Brian looks between his daughters then over to his wife, "I need to get to work." He says, walking over to her. He places a kiss on her lips then moves over to his daughters, "Have a good day at school." He tells them before kissing both of them on their foreheads. He grabs his jacket and walks out of the room, leaving the three women.

"Mom, what's going on? Is it about Santana?" Ashley asks from her spot at the kitchen table, as she watches her mother whiz around the kitchen, preparing breakfast. She was making a huge spread, which told Ashley she was over compensating for something.

Susan drops the spatula in her hand, and closes her eyes, trying to compose herself, before turning around facing her two daughters who were staring at her with concerned faces. "Girls, it's nothing for you to worry about alright?" She says, only to have them continue staring at her, "Alright?" She reiterates, to have them eventually nod their heads.

SXB

Brittany wakes up the next morning and feels a weight on top of her. Her eyes snap open in fear and she jumps, looking down. She let's out a sigh of relief, remembering Santana had slept in her bed, and it was the Latina lying halfway on top of her.

Apparently her abrupt movements had woken the sleeping girl, who was now stirring against Brittany's stomach. Their hands were still clasped firmly together and Santana still had balled clung tightly to her chest. "Tana?" The blonde calls out to the brunette who had gone still again.

Santana exhales deeply, and lets out a humming noise still not making any movement. But after no response from the blonde girl she reluctantly opens her eyes, and looks up at Brittany who was looking down at her.

"I like snuggling with you." Brittany admits smiling shyly at the girl on top of her.

The brunette feels a tingling in her cheeks, and a familiar flutter in her stomach, and isn't quite sure what it was, but she had to admit, she liked it. It only happened when Brittany was around her; it was something she'd never felt before, and it was something she couldn't explain. "I do too." She replies, moving her head back down to rest on Brittany's chest. Partially because it was comfortable and partially because she felt the odd sensation of shyness, and for some reason didn't want Brittany to see her face.

"Tana?" Brittany asks once again after a brief silence. She had thought for a moment that Santana had fallen back asleep because it took her awhile to answer, but eventually she let out a grunt in response, "Why were you crying?" Brittany asks innocently, looking down at the Latina.

"I miss my mommy and daddy." Santana replies quietly.

Feeling the need to hold Santana tighter, Brittany wraps both arms around her, and pulls her into a deep embrace. "When I'm sad, my mommy always holds me, and it makes me feel better." Brittany informs Santana who nods, and snuggles into Brittany gratefully.

The bedroom door opens a few moments later, and Brittany looks up to see her mother peaking in with a smile. "Morning baby." She says quietly, walking fully into the room. She walks over to the bed, and sits down on the edge of it, taking notice of the Latina who was sleeping soundly in Brittany's arms, and couldn't help but let a smile grow on her face. "She's still sleeping, I see." The woman notes, and Brittany nods her head.

"She's sad." Brittany responds with a pout, her arms subconsciously tightening around said girl. "A sad panda." She adds, looking down at her "girlfriend".

Susan lets a small smile grace her lips at the adorableness of her daughter, but is soon replaced with a frown, "Why is she sad?" She asks the younger blonde in a soft voice, as she reaches out to brush a few stray pieces of hair from Brittany's face.

"She misses her mommy and daddy." Brittany replies simply, making the older woman nod in understanding. "Are they going to come back?" Brittany asks, her big blue eyes, looking up at her mother innocently.

Susan pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and stares down at the Latina in her daughters arms for a moment, before shaking her head, "I don't think so honey." She replies honestly, trying her best to hold in her tears. She had to be strong for these two girls, because she knew they weren't going to understand. Before Brittany can respond, she is stopped short by Santana stirring in her arms once again. "Morning sleepy head." Susan says with a smile, looking down at the girl who was staring back up at her with sleepy eyes.

"Morning,'" Santana mumbles before a yawn takes over her body.

"Breakfast is downstairs," Susan informs both the young girls who smile and nod appreciatively. Santana was still half asleep, but Brittany on the other hand had been awake for a while, and so had her stomach.

BXS

Brittany sat on her bed trying to watch the movie that her mother had put in for the two of them, but couldn't help letting her eyes drift over to Santana who had her ear pressed against her bedroom door. "What are they saying?" Brittany asks timidly as she holds Ballad tightly to her chest. As soon as Brittany's father had come home from work, Susan had sent the young girls up to Brittany's room, and put a movie on for them. They could hear her parents talking downstairs, and they both knew it had something to do with Santana. It was the only reason her mother ever sent her to her room, and gave her something to keep her busy; when they were talking about her, and didn't want her to hear.

"I can't stay here." Santana says quietly, looking over at Brittany.

Brittany's eyes widen at this and tears begin filling her ocean blue eyes, "But I don't want you to leave." Brittany says, her bottom lip quivering.

"I don't want to leave you either." Santana says, walking over to the bed. She jumps on top of it, sitting next to Brittany. The blonde just looks down at the floor as a tear slips out of her eye. "No matter what, I'll come back to you." Santana says, making the blonde look up at her.

"Promise?" Brittany says with a small sniffle.

Santana nods her head and sticks out her pinkie. "Promise." She says as Brittany wraps her own little pinkie around Santana's.

**Okay so let me know what you guys think please! :) If you'd still like me to continue! **


	3. Chapter 3

**The Light At The End Of The Tunnel**

**Chapter 3**

**Year: 2012**

**Hope everyone had an awesome New Years!  
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**Thank you all for the awesome reviews! I'm glad you guys are already enjoying the story!  
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Santana wakes from her deep slumber with a start; sweat dripping down her face, heart hammering against her chest. She feels tears prickling her eyes, and wipes furiously at them with the backs of her hands. She lets out a frustrated groan, burying her head in her hands, before looking over at the clock on the bedside table.

3:04 a.m

Santana throws herself back down onto the bed with a sigh, and stares up at the ceiling. She knew there was no way she was getting back to sleep anytime soon; nor did she really want to. She hated sleeping, and wished she didn't actually need it.

With a loud sigh, she throws the blankets off of her body, and gets out of bed. She slowly opens the door, and tiptoes down the hallway trying her best not to make any sounds as she passed Ashley, and Brittany's room and made her way down the stairs. She walks into the kitchen, and turns the light on, before walking over to the fridge.

She opens the door and looks inside deciding on what she wanted for a few seconds before just deciding on a bottle of water. She closes the fridge door and turns around almost colliding with someone, making her almost jump out of her skin, "Shit!" She exclaims, placing her hand over her chest. She looks up to meet Susan's blue eyes, looking down at her amused, "You scared me." She admits, trying to calm her heavy breathing.

"Language." The older woman scolds, pointing a finger in the Latina's face, although the woman looked far from threatening, "and I'm sorry, I just heard someone in here, and came to check it out." Susan says offering Santana a heartwarming smile, much like Brittany's. Santana could definitely see where Brittany got her looks from. Her mother was absolutely gorgeous, and Brittany was a younger version of her. "Why are you up anyway?" Susan asks, raising an eyebrow at the young Latina.

Santana averts her eyes away from Susan quickly, and looks down at her water bottle. She begins picking at the label wrapped around the clear plastic, hesitating on what to say next. "I just couldn't sleep." She finally says vaguely, with a shrug. She knew the older woman was wise, and could see right through her answer, but she was hoping she wouldn't pry.

After a few seconds of silence, Santana looks back up to see if Susan was going to reply, but sees her opening the refrigerator door, digging for something. She sits herself down on one of the stools at the bar and silently watches her while sipping on her water. She knew Susan had many questions, and many concerns, but she was thankful that the older woman wasn't voicing any of them…yet. She knew it was only a matter of time before she started demanding some answers. She didn't blame her, she'd want answers if she was in Susan's position, but that didn't make her feel any more at ease.

"So are you going to turn me in?" Santana finally asks after a brief silence of watching the older woman rummage through the fridge. The silence was killing her, and this was a thought that had been running through her mind since she first walked in the door yesterday.

Susan stands up straight and turns around towards the darker girl, and watches Santana for a few moments before turning back to the fridge, pulling out what she was looking for. With a smile she shuts the door and places a cake on the table as Santana continues to stare at her, awaiting an answer.

"No." The older woman finally says, meeting Santana's dark eyes. The Latina quickly lets out a breath of relief, letting her shoulders slump down as she relaxes her entire body. "You're 17 years old now, almost an adult, you can make your own decisions." The woman tells her and Santana just nods in agreement. "Want some cake?" She asks completely steering the conversation subject in a different direction. She smiles warmly at the brunette, who still had looked slightly uncomfortable with the previous conversation.

A giant grin appears on Santana's face and she just nods her head enthusiastically, making the older woman laugh. Susan places a giant slice on a plate, and hands it to the impatient Latina across from her, who takes it, licking her lips in anticipation. Santana quickly digs her fork into the cake, and stuffs into her mouth, letting out a moan as her eyes close at the sensation. "German chocolate." She states, after swallowing, making Susan nod her head in confirmation. "Brittany's favorite." Santana notes, before taking another bite.

An impressive smile appears on Susan's face as she watches in amusement at the Latina inhaling her desert. "You remember her favorite desert?" The woman asks, leaning on the counter with her elbows, looking across at Santana who was now blushing.

"Yeah." Santana says simply with a shrug, trying to pass if off as something that wasn't that big of a deal. Truth was she remembered everything about Brittany down to where each freckle on her face was located. Although now, she'd developed even more freckles, but whatever.

Susan just smiles at the younger girl before standing back up off the counter. She cuts herself a piece of cake, and puts it on a plate before pulling a stool over, sitting across from Santana as the two girls fall into a silence. It wasn't necessarily a comfortable one, for Santana anyways, but it in some way she still felt at peace.

The woman clears her throat after a few minutes, making Santana glance over at her to see the woman chewing the last of some cake and staring at her. Santana's eyes flicker down to her plate, and she shifts uncomfortably as she Susan's eyes continue staring holes into her head, "What?" The brunette asks timidly, her eyes still set down on her plate.

"You didn't get hit in the eye with a baseball did you?" Susan asks knowingly, making Santana look up at her surprised. She gives Santana a stern, yet warm look, letting her know she didn't want to be lied to, and that she wasn't going to judge her.

Santana lets out a sigh, and drops her fork onto her plate, "No." She says softly, resting her head in her hands on top of the counter. She glances over at Susan who was silent and just sees the woman nod her head, before inhaling and looking down at her plate like she was debating on what to say next. "I don't want to talk about." Santana cuts in quickly, before the older woman had a chance to even attempt speaking once again.

A deep sigh escapes the older blonde's lips, but she nods nevertheless. She knew not to push Santana. She wanted to know what happened to her, but she'd learned in the past pushing her only made things worse. She would talk, but it had to be when she was ready. "Okay." She says, voicing her understanding on the subject.

Santana watches the older woman warily for a few moments, not believing it was dropped that easily. But when she sees her smile and eat another bite of her cake, she thinks maybe it was. Santana simply moves her eyes down to her cake as she scoops another piece into her fork.

SXB

Teeth brushed, and hair pulled back in a pony tail, Brittany lazily makes her way out of her room, and down the hallway. She approaches her older sisters bedroom, and places her hand on the doorknob before pausing, debating on wether or not she should open it.

Deciding on not just barging in on Santana, she lets go of the doorknob and knocks a few times on the wooden door. After a few seconds, she receives no answer and once again places her hand on the doorknob. She inhales deeply, before twisting it around, and opening the door slowly.

She peaks her head inside the door, and looks inside the room, but doesn't see Santana anywhere. "Santana?" She calls out, stepping more into the room, looking around, but the Latina was nowhere to be found. The bed had definitely been slept in so she figured Santana had already waken up and made her way downstairs.

Brittany steps back out of her sisters room, and shuts the door behind her before walking back down the hallway, and down the stairs. Once she gets downstairs, she sees her mother sitting on the couch, and walks up behind her, wrapping her arms around her neck. "Morning mommy." The blonde says in a baby voice, squeezing her mother tight.

Susan lets out a giggle and grabs Brittany's arms with her hands, squeezing them slightly. "Morning baby." She whispers, turning her head to the side.

Brittany was confused as to why she was whispering but soon follows her mothers gaze to the couch where she sees Santana lying on the other end, curled up in a ball fast asleep. "She slept down here?" Brittany asks, her eyebrows scrunching up in confusion.

Susan shakes her head silently, and stands up from the couch. She points to the kitchen and Brittany nods, following her mother inside the other room. "She started out in Emily's room, but she didn't get much sleep. I found her in here around 3 this morning." Her mother informs her.

Brittany just nods her head in acknowledgement before turning her head to catch a glance at Santana's still sleeping form on the couch. "Was she okay?" She asks carefully, looking down at the ground.

Susan lets a sigh escape her lips, and leans against the kitchen counter. "She said she couldn't sleep." She replies with a shrug. "I could tell she didn't want to talk about it, so we shared some cake, then went into the living room and watched Tv. She fell asleep around 6." Her mother adds, her gaze falling on Santana.

"I have so many things I want to ask her." Brittany admits after a brief silence. She averts her gaze away from Santana to look back at her mother who was nodding her head in agreement. They all wanted to ask Santana, where she had been and what had happened, but they knew they'd have to give it time, and that they couldn't just bombard her with questions.

"Well, if she is going to talk to anyone, it's going to be you honey." Susan says placing a comforting hand on her daughters shoulder. "She trusts you." She adds with a small smile.

Brittany smiles back at her mother; her heart fluttering at the admission. She liked the thought of Santana being able to open up to her and trust her. She wanted that so much from the Latina, but she knew she had to be patient with her.

Before Brittany could reply to her mother, they both hear a whimper, making them snap their heads around in Santana's direction. The Latina was lying on the couch, tossing and turning, mumbling in her sleep, desperately trying to cling to something.

Brittany quickly makes her way into the living room followed by her mother, and leans down in front of the couch, "Santana." She says softly, placing a gentle hand on Santana's arm, not wanting to startle her, anymore than she already was. "San, wake up. You're okay." Brittany says, a little bit louder this time. She grabs one of Santana's hands that was opening and closing desperately trying to find something to hold onto, and clasps it tightly with her own.

With a start Santana wakes up, sitting up quickly, bringing Brittany up with her, causing her to almost fall over in the process. "Brittany?" Santana chokes out, as she tries to swallow a sob.

"Yeah, I'm here." Brittany says, running her free hand soothingly through Santana's dark locks. "You're okay." She says, moving to sit on the couch next to Santana, who collapses in her arms. Brittany holds the Latina close to her as she whispers soothing words into her ear, trying to get her to calm down. "I've got you." She whispers, before looking up at her mother who was watching the two with sad eyes.

The two Pierce women seem to have a conversation with their eyes, and once Susan had confirmed Brittany had everything under control, she turned to walk out of the room, leaving the girls alone.

A few minutes later, and a few calming words later, Santana had visibly settled down. Her sobs were reduced to sniffles and her grasp on Brittany had loosened slightly, although she was showing no sign of letting go any time soon. "I'm sorry." Santana whispers, picking her head up off the blonde's shoulder.

"Don't be sorry." Brittany replies, shaking her head. She looks down at Santana, meeting her big brown orbs, that looked more vulnerable than she had ever seen them. "Do you want to talk about it?" Brittany asks hesitantly. She didn't want to seem as if she was forcing Santana to talk, but she wanted her to know that she was there for her if she did want to talk.

Santana averts her eyes down to the floor, away from Brittany's ocean blue eyes. "No." She says quietly, playing with the hem of Brittany's shirt with her fingers, trying to give herself something to do other than talk to or look at Brittany.

Brittany tries her best to hold back a sigh that wanted so badly to escape her lips. She really wanted Santana to talk to her, and to know what was torturing her while she slept, but she knew pushing the girl would only make things worse. "It's okay, you don't have to." Brittany assures her, making Santana look back up at her. The blonde offers her a small smile, and Santana returns it with the best smile she could muster up. "Just know that I am here, if you do want to talk." She adds, and Santana nods her head.

"You girls hungry?" They hear Susan's voice ask, making them both look over at her. "Made some breakfast." She adds with a warm smile.

Santana quickly pulls herself away from Brittany's grasp, clearing her throat awkwardly, and stands up from the couch. "I'm not hungry." The brunette states, before slipping past the older woman, and making her way up the stairs.

Susan looks over at Brittany with a confused look, "What happened?" She asks with concern.

Brittany's eyes were still trained on the stairs that Santana had just descended, and she shrugs her shoulders mutely, "I'm not sure." she finally says, turning her attention to her mother. "She didn't want to talk about it." She adds, and Susan simply nods her head with a sigh. She knew they didn't need to push Santana, but she also knew the brunette needed to talk about what she'd been through with someone. It would eat her alive, if she didn't.

"Come on, let's go eat. You have school." Susan says, placing her hand on Brittany's back, leading her into the kitchen.

Brittany sighs and brings her eyes back over to look at her mother, "I don't want to go to school." She says matter for fact with a sigh. She gives the older woman her best puppy dog face, although she knew it was probably hopeless.

"She'll be fine." Susan tells her gently. She caresses the blonde's back with her hand and smiles warmly at her, letting her know she'd be safe with her, while she was at school. "You have to go." Her mother adds firmly. She knew she was worried about the Latina, and that even if she did go to school she probably wouldn't concentrate, but she still had to go.

The younger blonde frowns at her mother, but nods her head, and walks into the kitchen.

o0o0o0o0o

After getting ready, Brittany walks out of her bedroom, grabbing her cheerio's bag and her backpack, before closing the door behind her. She glances down the hallway at her oldest sisters closed bedroom door, and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, contemplating on walking down there. She wanted to tell Santana she was leaving, and she also wanted to check on her, but she didn't want to bother the girl.

Taking in a deep breath she makes her way down the hallway, stopping in front of the door. She let's her bags fall down onto the floor, and brings her hand up to knock on the door. After a few seconds she hears the faint sound of Santana's voice telling her she could come in.

"Hey, you alright?" Brittany asks carefully, walking fully into the bedroom.

Santana was sitting on her sisters window seat with her legs pulled up to her chest, looking outside. She gives Brittany a weak smile, and nods her head, mutely answering Brittany's question.

The blonde slowly makes her way over to the window seat, and sits next to Santana, a good enough distance so that she wouldn't make Santana feel uncomfortable. Her eyes follow Santana's gaze out the window, but nothing was going on. It was simply her empty street. "Okay well I'm about to go to school." The blonde finally says, looking back over at the Latina. "I just wanted to tell you bye, and make sure you were okay." She adds sincerely.

"I'm fine." Santana says, finally voicing her answer, although her eyes never moved from whatever they were looking at out the window.

Brittany leans over to the side, tilting her head to get a better look at the brunette who side eyes her, "You look exhausted." She states quietly.

Santana finally turns her head slightly, looking at the blonde. "A little." She says with a shrug, before her eyes move back over to the street below them. That was an understatement. Brittany could clearly see dark circles and deep bags under the brunette's eyes.

They sit in a silence for a few minutes, and Brittany decides that she should probably go, before she was late. "Okay, well maybe try taking a nap." The blonde suggests as she stands up from the seat. She stares at the Latina for another few seconds before deciding that Santana wasn't going to look at her, so she turns and heads for the door. "Mom made breakfast, it's downstairs still if you get hungry." She adds, and she can see Santana nod her head slightly. "I'll see you after school." The blonde says, before walking out of the room, closing the door behind her.

SXB

Brittany walks over to her locker that morning, and quickly puts in her locker combo. She was slightly late for school, but honestly she didn't care. She didn't even want to be there. She'd been gone for like 20 minutes, and she already was way too worried about Santana. Her mother was home, and she knew Santana would be fine, but she still felt the need to be there for her.

She sees movement out of the corner of her eye, and almost jumps out of her skin when she turns her head slightly and sees Quinn standing only inches away from her, "Didn't mean to scare you." The other blonde says, with a smirk.

The dancer gives her best friend a smile, and shakes her head, "I'm sorry, I'm just a little out of it." She admits, as she begins grabbing books out of her locker, and placing them into her backpack for her first couple of classes.

"What's up?" Quinn asks her brows furrowing, "Problems with Artie?" She asks, her worried expression turning into a smirk. She was just waiting for the moment the two of them would break up. She loved Brittany, and she wanted her to be happy, but she also didn't want the girls reputation going down. Because if her best friend was a loser, then she was a loser. And it wasn't just that he was in a wheel chair. He would be a loser even if he wasn't, and also, he's kind of a douche bag, Brittany just doesn't see it, or she doesn't want to see it.

"No." Brittany says lowly, rolling her eyes at her best friend. "Santana is staying at our house again." She says quietly, glancing briefly over at the other blonde, who's eye brows shoot up in surprise.

A smile appears on the shorter blonde's face, "No way!" She exclaims quietly. She had multiple questions she wanted to ask Brittany about Santana, but she decided to keep it brief instead or rambling, "How did that happen?" she asks, completely shocked to hear about the Latina once again. She hadn't seen her in what? 7 years?

The two of them had never really gotten along. But honestly it was a love/hate relationship. They bickered and challenged each other daily, but deep down, and although they'd never admit it, they loved each other. Santana claimed she only put up with the blonde, without kicking her ass because of Brittany. Although she did kick Quinn's ass a couple times; or Quinn kicked Santana's ass. It depends on who you ask.

Brittany inhales deeply, her eyes moving up to meet Hazel's, "She was sleeping in the park again. The same place I found her the first time." Brittany explains with a somber expression.

Quinn's brows shoot up to her hairline, and her mouth hangs open slightly, "Seriously?" She asks, not believing it. "What happened? Did she run away from her family?" The shorter blonde asks, still trying to process everything Brittany was telling her.

Brittany simply shrugs, her eyes moving down to the ground beneath her, "I don't know." She says quietly with a shrug. "She won't talk to me." She adds in a low voice.

Quinn picked up on her tone, and could tell that Brittany was hurting. She cared deeply for Santana, and she always had, and it was killing her that Santana wouldn't open up to her. "Hey," Quinn says, placing a comforting hand on the taller girl's shoulder making Brittany look up at her, "She's probably been through a lot Britt. She just needs some time to sort things out." She explains, "Besides you know Santana. She's never been good at talking about feelings." Quinn adds with a slight eye roll as her mind drifted back to previous situations like these, where Santana had been to stubborn to talk about what she was feeling.

"I know." Brittany agrees. "I just wish she would talk to me. I know she's been through a lot, and she's hurting, I can tell." Brittany explains as tears began prickling her eyes. She didn't want to get worked up over all of this, especially at school, but she couldn't hold them back, "I just want her to trust me, and know that I'm here for her. I want to help her." Brittany adds, and Quinn nods her head solemnly.

The shorter cheerio smiles softly at Brittany, "She will Britt. Give her time. You know as well as I do, that you are like the only person in this world she trusts." Quinn reassures her. The shorter blonde never knew what it was, but the two girls had some kind of freaky connection between them. Santana was basically a bitch to everyone, except Brittany, and she had no clue why. Even as kids Santana was mean to everyone, until Brittany came along. Why had she been nice to her? Why had she decided this girl was different, and befriended her?

"I know she used to. But what if she doesn't anymore. I haven't seen her in 7 years Quinn. She's changed, _I've_ changed." Brittany explains and out of her control, her lip begins to quiver as the emotions begin hitting her hard. "She was 10 when we last saw her. Things are different." The dancer reminds Quinn.

"Hey, don't get so worked up Britt." Quinn says, soothingly, placing an arm around her best friend. "You guys may have changed personally, but I guarantee nothing has changed between the two of you." She says, matter of fact, "You guys have some freaky bond, that can't be broken, no matter how long you're apart." The blonde says, ducking her head to meet Brittany's downcast eyes, giving her a warm smile. "Okay?" She asks, after getting no response out of Brittany.

Brittany picks her head up, and searches Quinn's eyes as the shorter girl stares back at her with sincerity, "Okay." Brittany finally replies, with a firm head nod. The thought of her and Santana having a bond that strong, made her body feel all tingly. It was something she'd noticed, that she'd only felt a couple of times, each time with Santana, but something she wanted to feel all of the time.

o0o0o0o

Santana quietly makes her way down the stairs and into the kitchen, hoping that Ashley and Susan were no where to be found. She peaks her head around the corner and lets out a sigh of relief seeing neither of them in sight, and walks over to the refrigerator. Her stomach lets out a loud rumble as she digs through the drawers looking for something quick and easy to eat.

She spots some hot pockets in the freezer and pulls one out of the box before tossing the box back in it's place and closing the door. She makes her way over to the microwave, unwrapping the snack from the plastic and grabs a plate form the cabinet over the microwave.

"Honey, I can make you something if you're hungry." She hears the voice of Susan Pierce, making her tense up.

Santana simply shakes her head, and continues preparing her hot pocket, not turning to look at the older woman, "This is fine." She says quietly, opening the microwave door and placing the food inside. She feels the woman getting closer to her, she can hear the footsteps and see the movement out of the corner of her eye.

"Santana." The woman says softly, but sternly, trying to get the Latina to look at her. "Can I talk to you?" She asks, still getting no response from the shorter brunette. She places a gentle hand on Santana's shoulder and can feel the girl's entire body go rigid at the contact, but she keeps her hand there. She wasn't going to hurt Santana, and she wanted the brunette to know that.

Santana clears her throat awkwardly, and steps aside, making Susan's hand fall off of her shoulder. She leans back against the cabinet, and side glances the older woman, with her head bowed down. She swallows thickly and nods her head, letting Susan know she had her attention, and that she was listening.

Brittany's mother watches as Santana creates a distance between them, and instead of making it smaller, like she really wanted, she respects the girl, and stays in her place, just watching her. "I want you to know that you are now apart of this family Santana." The woman says, making Santana slowly pick her head up and look at her warily. "I care about you, just like I do my own kids, and if you need anything please let me know. None of us are here to judge you honey. We see how much you are hurting and we just want to help you." She tells the Latina, looking at her with sincere eyes.

Santana's eyes had dropped back down to the ground, and she had her lip tugged in between her teeth. She was trying her best to hold back tears as she listened to the woman, but fails as a couple run down her cheek. She nods her head simply, not trusting her voice to speak.

Susan watches Santana and all she wants to do is walk over to her and wrap her up in her arms, but she knows better than that. Santana likes her distance, and isn't one for physical contact with others, and she respects that. She waits for a response out of the girl, but when she sees her nod her head, and let out a sniffle followed by silence, she knows that is all she's getting.

Even though Santana wasn't looking at her she gives the girl a meaningful smile, before turning to walk out of the kitchen, wanting to leave the girl alone.

"Thank you." Comes the soft response, making Susan stop in her tracks. She turns around and sees Santana staring back at her; eyes filled with tears. She nods and gives the girl a soft smile before turning around and walking out of the room.

Santana watches Susan walk out of the room and lets out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. Even though she hadn't seen her in years, she was still a mom to Santana; the closet she's ever had to one anyways. She hated not being able to open up to her completely, and especially Brittany, but it was just too hard. She knew it hurt them, and they felt she didn't trust them, but it wasn't that at all. She trusted the Pierce's with her life. She cared about them, which was why she wasn't going to burden them with her problems.

She gets pulled out of her thoughts when she microwave beeps, making her just about jump out of her skin. "Fuck," She mumbles, turning towards the device, and pushing the button for the door to open.

"Language." She hears Ashley's smug voice say from behind her.

With a soft sigh, Santana turns around to look at Brittany's older sister, only to find her smirking at her. Santana simply rolls her eyes and turns back to her hot pocket, retrieving it from the microwave. She wouldn't say she hated Ashley, but the two of them had never gotten along. They were actually a lot alike, which is probably why they didn't. Ashley was loud, outspoken and just a straight up bitch sometimes. But she was a part of Brittany, and Santana could never actually hate anything that was a part of the blonde.

She didn't even know why Ashley was still living with them. She was probably 21 by now, and Santana figured she'd be off at college somewhere, or in her own apartment with a job. Maybe she flunked out. Wouldn't surprise Santana.

Santana grabs a bottle of water out of the fridge and glances over at Ashley who was digging through the pantry for something. She quickly makes her way out of the kitchen before the girl could start up a conversation with her, and carries her food upstairs with her. The good thing about the Pierce's home is that there weren't too many rules, which was good, because she wanted her privacy.

o0o0o0o

Brittany quickly makes her way into her house after school, and tosses her bag down on the floor by the doorway. Her mother would get onto her for that later, but whatever, she was in a hurry. She'd been worried about Santana all day today at school, and just wanted to see her. She'd called her mother during lunch but the woman had simply said she was fine, and told her to go and eat lunch.

The blonde rounds the corner into the living room and sees her mom and sister sitting on the couch, but no signs of the Latina, "Is she in her room?" She asks, already headed for the stairs. She's already half way up them when she hears her mother hum out a response, confirming the question.

She knocks quietly on the door to her older sisters room, and waits patiently for a response. When she hears the soft it's open, she turns the door handle and walks inside, but sees no sign of the darker haired girl. "Santana?" She asks curiously, looking around the room.

Brittany hears movement from the other side of the bed, and walks around to the other side, and sees Santana sitting on the floor; her back propped up against the bed, and her legs pressed to her chest.

"What are you doing?" The blonde asks confused. She sits down on the floor next to Santana, gazing over at her in concern. The girl wasn't crying which was at least a good sign, but Brittany could tell she was somewhere else with her thoughts. The blonde reaches out, and places a hand on Santana's arm, feeling the girl tense, and jump slightly.

Santana looks over at Brittany, the touch snapping her out of wherever she'd been with her thoughts. She sees the concern on her face and then notices the hand that was on her arm, but doesn't brush it off. The touch didn't cause fear to rise within her like most touches did. She felt something else floating within her body, and it felt good.

Brittany frowns at Santana who looked completely lost, and she tilts her head to the side, "Are you okay?" She asks, scooting closer to the girl. She lets her hand fall from Santana's arm, but doesn't miss the almost longing glance Santana gives the blonde's fallen hand.

"I'm fine." Santana finally says, her voice even lower and more raspy than normal. She hadn't spoken since early this morning, and it almost hurt her throat to do so. "I was just thinking." Santana adds with a small shrug.

Brittany wanted so badly to ask what she was thinking about, but she bit her tongue knowing Santana wasn't going to answer her anyway. Instead she picks her arm up, and gently lies it on top of Santana's shoulders. The brunette doesn't tense at the action, which makes a smile tug on Brittany's lips. Although Santana didn't move into the touch, at least she wasn't pulling away.

"How was school?" Santana asks, after the girls had fallen into a brief silence. Her head was still pointed towards the window across from them as well as her eyes. and her hands were resting on the tops of her knees that were still pulled up to her chest.

Brittany simply shrugs her shoulders at the question, "School." She returns vaguely, "Boring and pointless." She says with a smirk, keeping her eyes on the Latina.

Santana licks her lips, and rests her chin on top of her hands, "School isn't pointless." She replies softly.

"What? You're telling me you aren't happy, you don't have to go?" She asks Santana with a slight chuckle. She knew school wasn't pointless because without it, well she'd be even dumber than she already was, but still, that didn't mean she didn't hate it any less. It was just too hard. She was failing almost everything.

"I like school." Santana says honestly. Her eyes move down to her feet and she pulls her lip in to her mouth, chewing on it. She can feel Brittany's curious eyes on her, but she doesn't look at the blonde, "I like learning, and I guess it's a good distraction." She explains simply. "I would always just wrap myself up in school and for a moment forget everything that was happening in my life." She adds.

Brittany's eyes stay focused on the Latina next to her, but she doesn't dare speak. This was the most she'd ever gotten out of Santana, and she didn't want to say anything that would make the girl stop talking. She wanted her to open up to her, and to trust her. She wanted to know what all had happened in Santana's life.

Santana sniffles, and takes in a deep breath, "I used to think that if I did well in school, then I could go to college somewhere far away from here, and actually make something of myself." Santana says, letting out a bitter chuckle as she shakes her head at herself. "It's stupid." She adds quietly.

"It's not stupid." Brittany retorts quickly, making Santana look over at her. The brunette's eyes dart back and forth between ocean blues, for a few seconds, before turning back to the hardwood floor. "You can still do all of that." Brittany tells her encouragingly.

Santana inhales deeply, and shakes her head. She lets her head fall back onto the side of the bed, and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand, "I can't afford college, and anyways, how can I get into college if I don't even finish high school?" She asks, her voice filled with defeat.

Brittany chews on her bottom lip, and lets the tips of her fingers softly caress at Santana's shoulder, "We'll figure something out." She finally says, nodding her head firmly, "But I can promise you that you will go to college, and you will be successful. I'll make sure it happens." Brittany promises her with a warm smile.

Swallowing hard, Santana glances at Brittany, before turning her whole head to look at the blonde that was smiling at her. She licks her lips, "Promise?" She asks lowly.

It was the most vulnerable and fearful that Brittany felt she'd ever seen Santana. It took her back to the time years ago when they were 5, and Santana was upset about her mommy and daddy leaving. "I promise." Brittany confirms, holding her pinkie out to the Latina.

Santana's eyes move down to Brittany's little finger and can't help a smile from tugging on her lips. She reaches out and wraps her pinkie around the blonde's, who giggles and squeezes Santana with the arm that was still around her shoulders.

**Okay so I love your feedback, so please let me know what you thought of the chapter? :) **

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	4. Chapter 4

**The Light At The End Of The Tunnel**

**Chapter 4 **

_Year: 2000_

Santana and Brittany make their way into the living room, after being ushered in by her mother. They see everyone else in the family sitting around the room, and Santana glances over at Brittany nervously. The two of them climb up onto the recliner together, and watch Susan, who was standing in front of the coffee table, looking around at her family.

"Mom what's going on?" Emily, Brittany's eldest sister asks, from her place on the couch. Emily was thirteen years old, and was in the eighth grade. Santana hadn't been in the Pierce household long, but she'd already come to love the oldest sister. She was nice to her, and let her and Brittany watch her practice for cheerleading. She'd even taught the two young girls some moves. Emily was also really pretty, and looked like an older version of the youngest blonde, which meant, Brittany would probably be just as pretty when she gets old. But Santana already knew that.

Susan Pierce sighs and runs her fingers through her blonde hair. She glances over at Santana as Brian makes his way next to his wife. He wraps his arm around her shoulders, and she moves her eyes back over to Emily. "Santana is going to be staying with us for a little while." She finally says with a nod, moving her eyes back over to Santana to get the little girls reaction.

A giant smile quickly appears on both Santana and Brittany's lips, and looked at each other with wide eyes, clearly excited by the news.

"You mean, we're adopting her?" Ashley asks curiously.

Susan peels her eyes away from the two youngest girls in the room and looks over at her eldest daughters. "No, we aren't adopting her, but we will be fostering her." She explains to them, "She'll be staying with us until they can find a nice family for her to go and live with." She adds. She looks back over at Santana to see both five year olds now frowning.

"Why can't she stay here forever?" Brittany asks, poking her bottom lip out. Her eyes were filling up with tears, and her lip was quivering. It made both Mr. and Mrs. Pierce's hearts break at the sight. They knew neither girls were going to be happy with the information, but there wasn't anything they could do about it. They've considered adopting, they had wanted to more than anything, but it was just way too expensive. They had stayed up all night, looking into their savings, and trying to figure out if there was any way they could afford it, but it just wasn't possible, not with three kids of their own, they had to feed and give a roof to. It was a mystery to both adults why adoption was so expensive. People should be happy that a family is willing to take in an orphaned child, and shouldn't have to pay a fortune to do so.

Santana's eyes are trained on Brittany, and her forehead is creased. She didn't like Brittany crying, but she wasn't really sure how to make it stop. "I want to stay here too." She states, moving her eyes back over to Brittany's parents.

"I know you do honey." Susan says, with a sigh. Tears began filling up her own eyes as she watched the two youngest begin crying. She takes in a deep breath, trying to hold her emotions in, because she couldn't break down in front of her children. She had to be strong and let them all know everything would be okay.

Brian squeezes his wife's arm reassuringly, and smiles weakly at her, "Kids, we wish we could adopt Santana." Brian tells all of them with a frown. "But we aren't able to, and you guys are too young to understand it. It's a lot more complicated than just saying she can stay here." He explains calmly. He gives them all reassuring smiles, but none of them return it, not even the older ones.

Susan nods her head agreeing with her husband as she wipes under her eyes with the back of her finger. "But who knows, maybe it could be permanent." She tells them hopefully. "There's no telling how long it may take for someone to adopt her. She could end up staying here for a very long time." She assures them with small smiles.

Santana's eyes fall down to the ground, and she chews on her bottom lip. She didn't want to go to a new family. She wanted to stay here with Brittany and everyone else. She loved this family already, and there was no way she was leaving them; leaving Brittany.

She moves her eyes over to Brittany who was sitting close to her. The blonde's eyes were still filled with tears, but they weren't falling down her cheeks anymore. Brown eyes study Brittany debating on what to do. She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and slowly, she reaches out and places her arm around Brittany's shoulders. She remembered Brittany telling her that when she was upset, her mother held her, and it made her feel better, and it had definitely made Santana feel a little better last night.

Brittany all but falls into Santana's body, her own body fitting perfectly against Santana's. She lays her head down on Santana's shoulder and sniffles a few times, trying to calm herself down.

"Why don't you guys go back upstairs and play?" Susan suggests, giving the two smaller girls soft smiles.

Santana looks at both of Brittany's parents for a few more minutes, as they both smile and nod at her encouragingly at her. She turns her attention back to Brittany who was looking down at her lap, with her head still rested on the Latina's shoulder. She wanted to do something, but she didn't know what she could do, she just knew she didn't want to leave Brittany. She wasn't sure why, but seeing the youngest blonde upset, made her feel sick to her stomach, and she didn't like it. "Come on Britt." She finally whispers, moving to get up, so Brittany would get up also.

The girls make their way into Brittany's bedroom, and Emily lets out a sigh, "Why can't we just adopt her?" She asks with a frown, her brows furrowing in confusion. The girl was adorable, and Emily wouldn't mind having her around. She also gave Brittany someone to play with, so she wasn't constantly bothering herself or Ashley to play with her. Emily didn't mind playing with her youngest sister from time to time, but she still liked having time to herself, without Brittany constantly being there following her around.

"We tried honey." Susan tells her sadly. "Adoption is very expensive, and we just can't afford it." She tells her eldest daughter, who's face falls at the information. "But like I said, a lot of times, people end up fostering kids until they're old enough to be on their own. Maybe that will happen." She tells her two daughters with a slight shrug. "Either way, we just want Santana to be safe, and in a good home. If someone wants to adopt her, and they'll love her, that's all we can hope for." She tells the two girls firmly. She honestly didn't want another family taking Santana away either, but if it happened, and they loved the girl, then that's all she cared about.

o0o0o0o

Brittany walks into the living room and sits down on the floor in front of the coffee table, next to Santana. She presents the Latina with a box of crayons and some construction paper with a huge grin on her face. Santana smiles back, and takes the supplies and places them on the table, giving Brittany a purple piece of paper and herself a red one. "Purple is my favorite." Brittany states with a smile as she turns more towards the table, and situates herself.

"I know." Santana replies simply as she grabs a blue crayon out of the box, and begins coloring. They fall into a silence for a few minutes as both girls are thoroughly concentrated on their pictures. Santana places her crayon on the table and leans back examining her art work a few minutes. She smiles at her own work before looking over at Brittany who had her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth, as her hand worked steadily, her head bowed down only inches away from the paper. "What are you drawing?" Santana asks curiously, leaning over to catch a glimpse.

Brittany looks over at her before quickly covering the picture with her arm, shielding it from the Latina, "Don't look!" She exclaims, making the brunette look at her confused, and a little hurt. "You can't see it until it's done." She explains, and Santana just nods her head, before going back to her own picture.

They continue drawing for a few minutes, Santana every now and then trying to catch a peak at the blonde's drawing only to have her glare at Santana and hide it with her arms, making the brunette laugh. "What are you guys doing?" They hear a voice ask, making them both look up to see Ashley walk in the room.

"Colorin'." Brittany replies simply, as she turns her attention back to her picture. Santana's eyes stay on the older girl for a few moments as Ashley watches Brittany color her picture, before moving her eyes back down to her own drawing. "Stop it!" Santana hears Brittany's voice a few scones later, making her head snap up so fast she almost got whip lash.

Santana watches as Ashley keeps hitting Brittany's elbow as she is coloring, messing up her picture. "What are you gonna do?" Ashley asks teasingly with a laugh as she continues nudging the blonde's arm.

Santana's eyebrows scrunch together and a scowl forms on her face, "Hey, stop it!" She says loudly, making the older girl stop nudging Brittany and look over at her. The older blonde watches her for a minute with raised eyebrows before nudging Brittany once again, keeping her eyes trained on the young Latina as if she were testing her. "I said stop it!" The brunette screams, standing up from her spot.

Ashley can't help but burst into a fit of giggles as she watches the five year old glare at her, folding her arms tightly over her chest. "Whoa sorry." The older blonde says, putting her hands up in defense as she tries hard to bite back another chuckle, only to fail miserably.

Santana just about growls in response and runs over to Ashley, pushing her with all her force sending the blonde onto the couch. "Leave Brittany alone!" Santana says fiercely, placing her hands on her hips, looking down at the blonde who was staring at her with wide eyes.

The older blonde stands up from the couch and lets out another chuckle, shaking her head at the small Latina, before walking out of the room; Santana glaring at her until she was unseen.

Once Ashley was out of the room, Santana turns back to Brittany, and sits back down next to her, "Thank you." The blonde says shyly, looking down at the table beneath her. "She always picks on me." Brittany states sadly.

Santana smiles softly at the girl, before thinning her lips out into a line, and shrugging her shoulders, "Nobody messes with you, and gets away with it as long as I'm around." She response as if it were no big deal. Next thing Santana knows, Brittany's arms are wrapped tightly around her body, shocking the Latina at first. She soon relaxes into the embrace and wraps her arms around the blonde in return.

Brittany pulls back from the hug, and smiles at Santana, before turning to her drawing. She picks up a crayon and quickly scribbles something down, before snatching it up off the table, and holding it close to her chest, "Okay, I'm done." She states looking back at Santana with a wide smile. The brunette simply nods her head, and Brittany hands the drawing over to her and watches her with a shy smile, "It's you and me." She explains as Santana's eyes wander over the drawing of two stick figures holding hands, making a smile tug at her lips.

"Thank you Britt-Britt." She says looking up to meet blue eyes with a smile.

Susan walks into the room and places a bag down on the couch, "Hey girls." She greets them as she maneuvers around the living room. She grabs a book off the book shelf and walks back over to the couch, placing it in the bag. "You guys want to go to the park today?" She asks carefully, standing back up and looking down at the two girls. She wasn't sure if the park would be sensitive to Santana or not, but she figured she might as well ask, considering it was something her and Brittany had done practically every day for the last couple of years, while her sisters were at school.

A smile appears on both girls faces, and they nod enthusiastically, making the older woman chuckle.

"Alright then, go upstairs and start getting dressed, I'll be up there shortly if you need help." She instructs them, nodding her head up to Brittany's bedroom.

The girls practically jump up off the floor and scurry up the stairs and into Brittany's bedroom. The blonde grabs the pair of clothes her mother had laid out for her and Santana on her dresser the night before, and lays them on her bed. She pulls her shirt over her head, struggling a bit as her head gets trapped inside, but successfully gets it off within a minute or two.

She grabs the shirt laid out for her, and looks at it with concentration and spins it around trying to figure out which way to put it on so that it was on right. Finally she goes for it and throws it over her head and tugs it on, before going through the same routine with her jeans.

Brittany hears a giggle, and looks over at Santana who was already perfectly dressed, and was now watching Brittany, giggling with her hand over her mouth. "What?" Brittany asks confused. She looks herself up and down and sees her shirt turned around backwards and frowns. She was sure she'd gotten it right this time.

With a huff, the blonde pulls it back over her head, but gets stuck once again, causing Santana to break out into a fit of giggles, just about ready to roll around on the floor.

"Help me!" Brittany whines, struggling to get the shirt off of her head. "It's dark!" She cries out, which just makes Santana laugh even harder. She was fighting back tears now, but she stops and takes in deep breaths as best she could trying to calm herself down, so she could help the girl out.

Santana brings her heads up, and grips at the end of Brittany's shirt, "Be still." She instructs the willing girl. The blonde immediately stills, and Santana easily pulls the shirt over her head.

Brittany smiles shyly at Santana and takes the shirt from her, "Thank you." She says quietly as a blush appears on her cheeks. She bows her head down, trying to hide her embarrassment, and pulls the shirt back on, putting it on correctly this time.

Santana simply smiles back at Brittany, before sitting down on the floor to put her shoes on. She slips them on with ease and ties the laces tightly, then moves her eyes over to Brittany. The blonde had her tongue poking out of her mouth as she tried tying up the laces, much like she had been doing earlier when they were coloring. Santana figured it must have been something Brittany did when she was concentrating really hard. She watches the blonde for a few good moments as the girl weaves the laces around, but unsuccessfully ties her shoes.

"Do you want me to do it?" Santana finally asks, scooting closer to the blonde girl.

Brittany looks up abruptly, and moves her eyes from Santana's smiling face down to her perfectly tied laces. She frowns and looks back to her own shoes, before nodding her head slowly. "Who taught you how to tie your shoes?" Brittany asks, as she watches Santana skillfully tie her laces.

Santana simply shrugs at the question. "Nobody." She finally vocalizes. Really she taught herself, but wasn't sure if that counted as somebody. She'd watched her parents do it to their own shoes multiple times, and she'd just sort of picked it up over the years. Besides, her parents weren't going to do it, so if she didn't do it herself then she'd have to walk around with her shoes untied. If she did that then she'd trip all the time, which was something she didn't want to do, so she'd worked hard, and figured it out herself. "There, done." Santana says, standing up, and examining her work.

The blonde tilts her head to the side, and claps her toes together a few times with a grin. "Thanks." She says gratefully.

"I could teach you, if you want." Santana offers, watching the girl push herself up from the ground.

Brittany frowns and tugs on her bottom lip, "Everyone's been tryin' to teach me forever. I'm never gonna learn." She says defeated. It was true, her parents and both of her older siblings have been trying to teach her how to tie her shoes for almost a year now, and she just wasn't getting it. Emily had told her that it just sometimes took kids a little while to pick up and that she'd get it in time. Brittany couldn't help but feel it was a hopeless cause. Even though she'd only been trying for a couple of months now, to a five year old that felt like forever.

"You will learn." Santana says confidently. "I'll make sure of it." She adds with a smile, making the blonde also smile at her. For some reason even though Brittany had given up all hope on learning to tie her shoes, when Santana told her she'd learn, she believed it. She wasn't sure why Santana saying it, made a difference, but it had.

Susan walks in the room at that moment and sees both girls dressed and ready to go. This time with no clothes inside out, and all laces tied up perfectly. She raises an eyebrow and looks her daughter up and down, letting an impressed smirk form on her lips. "Brittany did tie your shoes?" She asks with a praiseworthy smile.

The blonde quickly shakes her head, "No, Santana did." She confirms, glancing over at her best friend. "She's going to teach me." She adds with a bright smile.

The older woman looks over at Santana who was nodding her head in agreement to Brittany's statement and smiles, "Well, that's great baby." Susan tells her, happy that Brittany had regained some confidence and hadn't given up completely like she'd been saying she was doing. "Are you guys ready to go?" She asks, as she digs for her keys in the bag tossed over her shoulder.

Both girls simply nod and run past Susan, and out her bedroom, before the older woman could even blink. She chuckles to herself and pulls out the car keys. She turns off Brittany's bedroom light and follows the two girls out of the house.

o0o0o0o0o

Santana lets out a giggle as she watches Brittany hang upside down on the monkey bars. Blonde hair nearly touching the ground, and her belly button visible because her shirt rose up to her chest. "You're silly." Santana notes, her face inches away from Brittany's as she hung from the metal bars. She was squatting down slightly to be even with the blonde's face and not her stomach, but as short as Santana was, she didn't have to squat much.

The blonde's only response is making noises that resemble a monkey, making the small Latina giggle more. Santana reaches up and tickles the blonde's exposed tummy, making the blonde shriek and her hands fly up to cover her belly. "Stop it!" Brittany shouts through a fit of giggles, "You're going to make me fall!" She screams out, still laughing.

Santana ceases her actions, not wanting to cause any harm to Brittany, and watches the girl recover with a smile.

"Let's play hide and seek." Brittany suggests as she gracefully pulls herself up onto the bar, then drops down to her feet. "You're it!" Santana shouts, nudging the brunette who frowns. "Count to one million!" Brittany shouts, before running away from Santana.

The brunette's frown only deepens and a wrinkle appears on her forehead, "I can't count that high." She mumbles loud enough so that the retreating blonde could hear her. Brittany simply giggles in response, leaving Santana behind to pout.

Santana puts her hands over her eyes and slowly starts counting, trying to remember all the numbers and not mess up. She gets all the way to fifty then starts getting confused. Sighing in frustration she uncovers her eyes and shouts out, "One million!" loudly, so that wherever Brittany was hiding, she'd know she was coming to find her.

She walks around the park looking in every slide and every tunnel that she sees trying to find the blonde. She spots a number of them around, but none of them _her_ blonde. She lets out a frustrating puff of air, and looks around the park, folding her arms over her chest. _Where was she? _Her eyes land on two girls on the far side of the park kneeling down on the highest platform of the rocket slide.

Santana narrows her eyes, and starts walking closer, and realizes it was Brittany, and someone she didn't know. Her brows furrow and she picks up her pace, approaching the rocket slide, and notices Brittany and this girl laughing. She wasn't sure why she was getting angry, because normally when Brittany laughed she got all tingly inside, which she also didn't really understand.

She climbs up the latter inside the rocket slide until she reaches the highest platform which had the slide hooked onto it. "Santana!" Brittany shouts happily, as the brunette eyes the new girl. "San, this is Quinn." Brittany introduces, pointing to the little blonde girl with bright green eyes across from her.

"You were supposed to be hiding Britt." Santana reminds her friend, completely brushing off the other girl.

Brittany simply smiles and nods her head in response, "I was." She says matter of fact. "I was going to hide in the slide, but when I got up here, Quinn was here." She explains, as Santana continues staring daggers at the green eyed girl known as _Quinn_. "She's going to play with us!" Brittany shouts happily, clapping her hands together.

Santana's scowl turns into a frown and she moves her eyes away from Quinn to look at Brittany. Her eyes soften significantly, but the pout stays on her lips. She didn't want Quinn to play with them.

"Okay, you're still it Santana!" Brittany shouts, then disappears down the slide, before Santana even had a chance to protest.

The Latina watches with a mixture of a pout and anger as Quinn follows Brittany down the slide with a giggle. She looks out the window and looks on as Brittany excitedly grabs Quinn's hand, pulling her away to another hiding spot as Santana was supposed to count.

Santana however didn't have the same excitement Brittany did. She pushes herself down the slide and slowly walks over to the sand box where she had been counting previously. They'd made that the designated counting area, since it was pretty much impossible to hide there. Unless you buried yourself in the sand, but Santana had told Brittany not to do that.

She covers her eyes with her trembling hands and counts quietly to herself as she tries hard to fight the tears in her eyes from pouring down her cheeks. She makes it up to about thirty when she feels a hand on her back, making her quickly uncover her eyes.

Susan was kneeling down next to her with concern written all over her face. "What's the matter Santana?" She asks carefully. She'd seen the girl from her place on the bench and noticed she looked like she was about to burst out into tears at any moment. She'd also noticed the lack of her daughter next to Santana. "Where's Brittany?" She adds worriedly, glancing around the park.

"She has a new best friend." Santana manages to rasp out as tears begin falling down her cheeks. Brittany had replaced her. She'd found someone better than her, and she didn't want to be her friend anymore.

Susan lets out a small sigh of relief. She was happy nothing horrible had happened to either one of the girls, but she did still feel her heart break a little at Santana's words. She knew something like this was the end of the world for a five year old, and she couldn't help but be amused, and saddened. She moves her eyes around the park until she spots Brittany huddled inside of a tunnel with another little girl, giggling.

She wraps her arms around Santana, and pulls her into her lap, trying to soothe her tears. "Honey, she just made a new friend. You guys are going to have other friends, but that doesn't mean she's replacing you." The older woman tries explaining to Santana. "That little girl probably wants to be your friend too." She adds nudging the girl in her arms slightly. She gives Santana a warm smile when the Latina looks up at her with puffy eyes.

"I don't wanna be her friend." Santana grumbles out stubbornly.

Susan bites her lip and holds back a chuckle, because even though this was nowhere near funny to Santana, it was slightly amusing to her. Five year olds could be so dramatic, and stubborn, especially Santana, she's come to realize.

"Honey," Susan starts, brushing back some of Santana's hair, so she could see her face better as she looked down at her, "Brittany still loves you, and won't replace you. Ever." She tells the little girl hoping to ease her worries slightly. She looks up and sees Brittany and the other little girls making their way over to them, and feels Santana sit up in her arms, and wipe her tears away. She must have noticed them also.

The girls approach and Brittany looks down at Santana with a frown, "What's wrong?" She asks, squatting down to be at Santana's level as she still was sat in Susan's lap.

The girl in question doesn't say anything, but moves her eyes down to the sandbox beneath them. "She's fine sweetie." Susan answers for Santana, assuming she wasn't going to speak anytime soon. "Who is this?" She asks, bringing the attention away from the crying girl and over to Brittany's new friend.

"I'm Quinn." The small blonde says in a sugary sweet voice with wide smile.

Susan smiles at the girl's adorable features, "It's nice to meet you Quinn. I'm Brittany's mommy." She says, nodding over to her daughter. Susan looks down at Santana who was still pouting in her arms, giving Quinn a death look. "Why don't you go and play?" She asks, nudging the brunette up out of her arms. She helps Santana up who seemed to be protesting, but does it anyway, and stands up herself, placing her hands gently on the Latina's shoulders.

Brittany's face lights up once again, and she smiles widely, "Yeah! Come on!" She shouts grabbing Santana's hand. "Quinn you're it this time!" She shouts as she drags Santana off to a hiding spot.

Susan watches them run off and doesn't miss the look Santana gives Quinn as Brittany drags her off with her. It was a smug grin that made Susan think she was saying 'Fuck you' with her eyes, because of course, she wasn't saying it aloud since she was only five, and as far as Susan knew, she didn't even know that word yet. She can't help but chuckle and shake her head, before returning back to her bench, to continue her book.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Later that afternoon the girls are sitting at the kitchen table eating bowls of fruit for snacks. Susan was busy loading up the dishwasher on the other side of the room as she hummed out a soft tune, neither Santana nor Brittany recognized.

Ashley and Emily walk into the room, throwing their backpacks onto the kitchen table. Ashley makes her way over to the fridge to grab a water bottle, and Emily comes up behind Brittany stealing a grape from her bowl, "Hey!" The young blonde protests, glaring back at her eldest sister who just smiles cheekily and pops it into her mouth.

"Better be careful Em, Brittany's little girlfriend may beat you up." Ashley teases from across the room, making broth Ashley and Emily look over at Santana who had a scowl present on her features. "What? You gonna push her too?" Ashley asks, walking over to the table where the three girls were.

This catches Susan's attention, and she turns around towards the girls, "Too?" She asks, raising a manicured eyebrow.

Ashley nods her head with a smirk, "Yeah she pushed me yesterday." The older blonde tattles making Santana glare even harder at her. Ashley simply sticks her tongue out at the young girl, before retracting it quickly as her mother walks over to them.

"Santana honey, we don't push okay?" Susan says gently yet firmly, placing a hand on Santana's shoulder.

The brunette looks up at the woman behind her and pouts, "She kept messing up Brittany's drawing!" The young Latina protest, folding her arms over her chest with a huff. "She was being mean to her!" Santana grumbles, throwing Ashley yet another glare.

Susan inhales deeply, and moves her gaze over to Ashley who was looking innocently at her, "Don't pick on your sister." She scolds, pointing a finger in the middle sister's face.

"It's just so easy." She replies with a shrug, before placing her hand on Brittany's head, ruffling her hair. She smirks as she watches the little blonde's hands shoot up to her head, trying to fix her hair, and Santana who was giving her that famous cold glare, before walking out of the kitchen with a chuckle.

Susan sighs, and shakes her head as she watches Ashley walk out. Sometimes having three girls was too stressful. "Santana, honey." The older woman says tiredly, kneeling down to the Latina's level. "I understand you were just looking out for Brittany, and that is very sweet." She says with a gentle smile, "But we don't push okay? If she's being mean, just come and tell me, and I'll take care of it from now on all right?" She asks, giving the Latina a firm look, letting her know there was no room for protest.

"Okay." Santana mumbles, nodding her head in agreement.

o0o0o0o0o

Santana and Brittany are lying in bed later that night. Susan had just tucked them in and kissed them goodnight, before turning the light off and closing the door behind. The only light that shined through the room was the Hello Kitty nightlight plugged into the wall on the opposite wall from the bed.

The older woman had been gone for almost five minutes now, and the two girls just lied there in silence, trying to let sleep take over there body. "Santana?" Brittany whispers into the silence, turning her head to look at the brunette. The light was glowing softly on the Latina make her skin glow a warm gold color.

"Yeah Britt?" Santana rasps out into the darkness.

"Are you awake?" Brittany asks in a hushed tone.

Santana let out a small giggle at the question, "Yeah Brittany." She replies turning her head to look at the blonde with an amused look. Obviously she was awake considering she'd answered Brittany's first question, but she didn't say anything.

Brittany rolls over onto her side, and situates herself back under the covers. She looks over at Santana as she settles and the two girls simply stare at each other in silence. They could barely make out the other, but the soft light created silhouettes of each girl. "I'm not sleepy." Brittany finally says, breaking their silence once again.

"Me either." Santana replies simply.

They fall into yet another silence, just staring at one another for what seemed to be forever. It wasn't an awkward silence, or an uncomfortable one, not that either girl would probably even notice. It was just strange, because neither of them hardly ever shut up if they were together, or even apart. Santana was a little bit quieter than the blonde, but it seemed Brittany was constantly talking, like she was allergic to silence or something. Really, it was just that she had a lot to say, and she always said what she was thinking. Right now though, she was content just lying here watching Santana, it was weird, but she felt good.

"Do you want Quinn to be your girlfriend?" Santana suddenly asks, making Brittany's brows scrunch up cutely.

She narrows her eyes at Santana, trying to figure out why she'd ask that question, but she couldn't figure out a good reason, "No. Why?" She asks, voicing her curiosity.

Santana shrugs at the question and turns back over onto her back. "Because she's nice, and pretty, and blonde." Santana lists off in a low voice. "I'm different than everyone. My hair and eyes are dark, and ugly." She says sadly. It was true Santana was different than the people she'd been around as of late. The entire Pierce family had blonde hair and light eyes, and now Brittany had found another little girl with blonde hair and green eyes. Why would she want her? Her parents had been the only people who had the same traits as her around here.

"I like your hair, and your eyes." Brittany says honestly, her eyes looking softly at Santana, who still was looking up at the ceiling.

The brunette bites her lip, "So, you don't want her to be your girlfriend?" Santana asks unsure, rolling her head to the side, to finally meet Brittany's eyes once again.

Brittany shakes her head at the question and scoots closer to Santana, "I want you to be my girlfriend." She confirms, making Santana's heart flutter.

A small hopeful smile tugs on Santana's lips, "Promise?" She asks, looking at Brittany with big brown eyes, full of uncertainty and hope. Hope, that everything Brittany was saying was true, and that she still wanted her to be her girlfriend, and not that Quinn girl.

"I promise Tana." Brittany confirms. She brings her hand up, offering her pinkie out to Santana once again.

A grin too big for her face forms on Santana's lips as she wraps her pinkie around Brittany's.

**Okay, so I know this story is going sort of slow, and I'm sorry if it's kind of boring. Lots of things are going to happen and it'll probably be a very long story. Let me know if you guys are still interested or still enjoying it! :) Hopefully you guys are, because I have a lot of stuff planned for this one and I'm really excited for it! :)**

**o0H3ATH3RMICH3LL30o . tumblr . com**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Light At The End Of The Tunnel**

**Chapter 5**

**Year: 2012 **

**A/N: First off, I'm back! **Okay I had someone tell me the adoption stuff was inaccurate and gave me some idea's I could do instead. Thank you for the information, but I'm just going to keep it as I have it, because some future things I have planned won't work if I change it. I apologize for being inaccurate and hope I don't offend anyone, or make anyone uninterested. I don't know anything about the adoption process really, so I'm sure I'll be inaccurate and it probably won't be the last, but hopefully you guys will still enjoy. Thank you guys again for the amazing reviews! I love everyone's feedback even if it is criticism, because that's how I improve, and hopefully make the story more enjoyable. Also knowing you guys are interested, makes me write faster even though, that's probably hard to believe since I update so slowly (Sorry about that) So please continue reading and letting me know if you like it or not! :) Sorry for the super long A/N. Also sorry for the long wait, college and work is crazy right now for me!

o0o0o0o

Twirling her fork around in her noodles, Brittany stares down at the spaghetti on her plate in deep thought. Both of her parents and her sister were sitting at the table with her having dinner, but not a certain Latina. She'd claimed she wasn't hungry, and as much as Brittany had tried to protest, her mother told her just to let Santana be. Brittany knew she'd come down and eat once she got hungry, but Brittany also knew she wasn't eating near as much as she should be.

She knew there was something bothering Santana, if not multiple things. It was clearly eating away at the young girl, and Brittany just wanted to make her feel better. She knew it was childish to think it would all go away with a hug and a good meal, but that's what Brittany wanted. She hated seeing Santana in this state and she hated that everyone kept telling her to just be patient. She knew they were right, and pushing Santana would probably make things worse, but it didn't make her feel any better.

"Brittany, honey?" The blonde hears her mother calling for her attention.

The blonde snaps out of her trance, shaking her head slightly and looks up, realizing everyone at the table was staring at her. "I'm not really hungry either." She mumbles, moving her eyes back down to her spaghetti, that was twisted around her fork. Brittany loves spaghetti, and normally inhales it, when her mother fixes it. It had always been a favorite of hers, so when she'd only taken one bite, it was obvious something was wrong with her.

Her father, Brian, lets out a small sigh, "Brittany, you need to eat." He says, gently, yet firmly. He knew she was troubled over Santana, but she didn't need to stop taking care of herself, trying to take care of Santana.

Brittany's eyes flicker back up and she meets her father's blue eyes. She thinks briefly about protesting, but decides against it, and simply nods her head, looking back down at her plate. She picks her fork up and takes a generous amount into her mouth. It was disappointing to her how the normally orgasmic spaghetti, was just okay. It had nothing to do with her mother's cooking, because her mother was amazing, she just was in one of those moods, where nothing was good.

"Is Santana going to be able to go to school?" She asks, interrupting a conversation her mother and Ashley had been having. She wasn't even really sure what they'd been talking about, she was only vaguely aware they'd even been talking, because she was so consumed by her thoughts. But by the looks they were giving her now, she was sure she'd interrupted something.

All three pair of eyes were on her, and she holds her mother's gaze, waiting on her answer. She'd promised Santana she'd make things happen for her, and she'd be able to graduate and go to college. Now it was her life's mission to do just that.

Susan looks conflicted and a little caught off guard with the question. She had actually thought about it, because she wanted Santana to get a good education and be able to turn her life around, but she just wasn't sure how she could manage it. "I don't know how she could. She needs to, but I have to be her legal guardian to enroll her." Susan says with a sigh.

"Why can't we foster her again?" Brittany asks, looking up at her mother with hopeful eyes. "Emily won't be back anytime soon, so she can stay in her room as long as she needs right?" The blonde suggests desperately. She didn't want Santana leaving her again. She wanted her to stay here with her. The thought of Santana being taken away again shook her to her core.

Susan licks her lips and glances down at the table, thinking over her answer. She wanted to foster Santana again, more than anything she did, but she wasn't sure how she could do that. "Honey, she ran away from her family. If I tell them she's here, they'll just take her back to them." Her mother explains, reaching out to take Brittany's hand in her own.

"Is there anything you can do?" Brittany asks desperately, her eyes pleading with her mother. She clasps her mom's hand with both of hers, squeezing gently.

The older woman let's out a sigh, her eyes moving down to their hands, "I'll see what I can do." She says with a firm head nod, her voice full of determination. She honestly had no idea what she could do, but she was going to do something. She cares about Santana like another daughter and she wants the best for her, and she also knows how much it means to Brittany.

A smile appears on Brittany's face, and she squeezes her mother's hands tightly, "Thank you! I love you!" She tells her excitedly. With a little more light in her eyes, Brittany brings another forkful of spaghetti to her lips and takes another bite. This time with a little more of the good flavor she was so used to.

o0o0o0o

Knocking gently on the door, Brittany waits patiently for a response from Santana, before walking into her sisters room. When she hears the soft come in, she opens the door; a plateful of spaghetti in her hand. "I brought you some dinner." She says softly, as she enters the room. She sees Santana standing by Emily's dresser, admiring the pictures that were covering the top of it. "What are you doing?" Brittany asks curiously. She places the plate down on Emily's desk and takes a couple steps towards Santana.

Santana bites her lip, and hides a shy smile, which confuses Brittany. The brunette meets Brittany's eyes, and the blonde can see Santana hesitate, "I used to be so in love with her." Santana finally says as a blush creeps up on her tanned cheeks.

Brittany smiles knowingly and nods her head, "Yeah, I know." She says simply. Santana shakes her head and frowns at Brittany, giving her a confused look. "I was so jealous." Brittany adds with a small laugh, making Santana smile softly. Brittany moves over to her sisters bed, and sits down, facing Santana, "I remember crying to my mother one night and asked what you liked about her, and what she had that I didn't." Brittany informs her with a smirk. She shakes her head at herself, because now looking back and thinking about it, it was dumb, but hey, she was 5.

A giggle escapes Santana's lips, and Brittany feels her heart soar at the sound. It was rare that she saw Santana smile, let alone laugh. "Boobs." Santana answers her with a smirk of her own, making Brittany chuckle. Once their giggles die down, Santana looks at Brittany, and bites down on her bottom lip, "I'm sorry." She apologizes with a soft smile.

"It was a long time ago. We were 5." Brittany says with a chuckle, waving it off with her hand. "I was just a dramatic 5 year old." She adds rolling her eyes playfully.

Santana smiles and moves to sit down next to Brittany on the bed. "I was jealous too." She admits, and Brittany looks over at her confused, but Santana keeps her eyes focused on something ahead of her. "Of Quinn." She adds, making Brittany nod her head, remembering how upset Santana had been when she became friends with Quinn.

A silence falls over the two of them, and Brittany chews on her bottom lip. She looks over at Santana who had her eyes focused down on her hands. The blonde clears her throat, struggling to say something she had on her mind. "So…" She says awkwardly, trying to force the question out of her throat. "Are you…" She starts only to stop. Santana looks over at her, waiting on her to continue, but Brittany looks down nervously. "Are you like….do you like girls?" Brittany finally asks. She knew her lips wanted it to happen fast, but her head had tried slowing it down so it didn't come out jumbled, but really it just came out awkward, which was not what she wanted. She was okay with Santana being a lesbian, and she didn't want it to seem otherwise. She wanted the brunette to feel comfortable, and able to tell her.

Santana looks a little caught off guard with the question, and her eyes quickly move back down to her hands. "I…." She says, but the words get caught in her throat, forcing her to stop talking. She shakes her head, and coughs, before trying again, but nothing comes out.

"It's okay if you are." Brittany says quickly, trying to redeem herself, after seeing Santana struggle with the question. "I totally don't care." She adds confidently. "I mean, I've made out with girls and I liked it, and stuff so you know…." She says, beginning to ramble. Santana's silence was killing her and she couldn't help but feel it was her own fault they were in this uncomfortable air.

This catches Santana's attention, and she turns her head to look at Brittany, "Are you?" She asks timidly. She almost face palmed after the question though, because of course Brittany wasn't. She was dating Artie.

Brittany simply shrugs, "I think I'm like bisexual or something." She says slightly unsure. "I'm attracted to girls, but I also like boys." She explains, making Santana nod her head.

Santana moves her eyes back down to her lap, and licks her lips, but doesn't say anything. Brittany was about to let it go, and try and move on to a new topic, but just before she could, Santana spoke up, "I'm gay." She finally admits breaking the brief silence. It was a whisper and if the room hadn't been so deathly silent, Brittany probably wouldn't have heard it. "I've only told one other person that in my life." Santana adds, looking over at Brittany.

This makes Brittany beam, and she reaches over, and takes Santana's hand in her own. She feels the Latina tense briefly at the contact, but it only lasts half a second before she relaxes and a small smile forms on her face. "Can I show you something?" Brittany asks, making Santana nod her head silently.

Brittany stands up off the bed, and tilts her head to the door, signaling for Santana to follow her.

Santana gets up off the bed, and follows Brittany closely down the hallway and into the blonde's bedroom. Santana watches curiously as Brittany walks into her closet, dropping to her knees digging around for something.

Finally a couple minutes later Brittany emerges back from her closet with an old shoe box in her hands. She walks over to the bed and places the box down, along with herself. She pats the bed and looks up at Santana, motioning for the brunette to sit with her.

"What is it?" Santana finally asks, sitting down next to Brittany, but the blonde only smiles.

Brittany opens the box up, and it's filled to the top with letters.

Santana's eyes widen and she studies the box for a few moments, before reaching over, grabbing one out, and looking it over. A small smile appears on her face as she reads the letter over. "These are the letters I wrote you." Santana states, making Brittany nod her head with a smile.

"Every single one since we were 7." Brittany says confidently. Brittany watches as Santana reads over a couple of the letters, shaking her head and giggling at some of the things her younger self wrote to Brittany. It made the blonde ecstatic to see Santana look genuinely happy for once. The girl was beautiful when she smiled, and Brittany couldn't seem to look away. She didn't want Santana to ever stop smiling.

"I can't believe you still have these." Santana says in awe, looking up at Brittany. The Latina's eyes were growing misty, and she harshly closes her eyes, trying to blink the tears back. _God_ she was such a pussy. Inhaling sharply, she opens her eyes back up, looking down at the letters once again, reading a couple more. "I had mine…" She says quietly. "But…they got taken away from me." She adds, her voice cracking as she tries to keep her emotions at bay.

Brittany bites down on her lip, and debates scooting over and wrapping Santana up in a hug. She wanted to, but then again she didn't want Santana freaking out on her or pushing her away. It wouldn't be the first time she's put an arm around the Latina, but she felt right now if she even blinked, Santana would stop talking. "What happened?" Brittany asks carefully. She didn't think Santana would actually tell her, but she didn't think there was any harm in trying. They'd made progress this afternoon, she felt. She'd come out to Brittany, and that has to mean she trusts her right?

Santana's body shakes as she tries desperately to hold in a cry. Her hands fly up to her face, hiding it from Brittany, and she groans into her hands. She is frustrated with herself for not being able to hold her emotions in. She was stronger than this, but right now she felt so weak.

"It's okay, Tana." Brittany says softly. She carefully scoots closer to the Latina on the bed, and places a gentle hand on Santana's shoulder. "You can cry," She adds, as her hand begins rubbing circles between the brunette's shoulder blades. But Santana shakes her head roughly, her palms digging into her eyes, trying to push the tears back in.

"When I was upset, I'd always read the letters." Santana says, her voice raspy and thick with sadness. "I'd lock myself in my room, and read them over and over again. It always made me feel better." She admits. She takes in a deep breath, her body shaking as she swallows another sob, before pulling her hands away from her face. "I'm so sorry." She apologizes to the blonde as tears flow freely down her face, "I don't have them anymore." She cries.

Brittany's forehead creases and she scoots even closer to Santana, placing an arm around her. "Santana, it's okay." She reassures the girl. The arm she has wrapped around Santana, rubs up and down the brunette's arm, and she rests her chin on Santana's shoulder. "It's not a big deal." Brittany tries telling her gently.

"It is!" Santana just about yells, making Brittany jump slightly. "You kept yours all this time, and I just…he took them…" She cries, wiping furiously at her cheeks. "He took them, and he ripped them up, right in front of me." She tells the blonde as Brittany holds her even closer.

Brittany feels her own tears begin prickling her eyes, but she closes them tightly, forcing them back. She needed to be here for Santana, and be strong for her. If Brittany broke down also, it'd do no good for her, it may even make Santana close back up, and stop talking. "Who did?" Brittany asks carefully. She knew she was getting into dangerous territory, asking so many questions. Santana would clam up soon, she was pretty sure, but she thought she'd give it a try, while she was on a roll.

"One of my foster dads." She answers with a sniffle. Her sobs had calmed down, but she still had silent tears falling from her eyes.

Brittany's nods her head against Santana's shoulder, letting her know that she'd heard her. She wraps her arm tighter around Santana, and brings the other to wrap around the brunette's waist. Santana tenses once again with the action, but when Brittany's fingers start softly caressing her side, she soon relaxes into the embrace. Her entire body just about collapses into Brittany with exhaustion, and she leans her head over, resting her on top of the blonde's with a heavy sigh.

"You don't need those letters anymore Santana." Brittany says quietly, breaking the silence after a few minutes. She feels Santana's head leave hers so she picks her head up off of the Latina's shoulder and looks over, seeing Santana's confused face. "You have the real thing now." She adds with a small smile.

Her smile mirror's Santana's face, and the brunette lies her head down on Brittany's shoulder. "The real thing is better." She she admits softly.

o0o0o0o

Susan walks downstairs and makes her way into the living room where she sees Santana sitting on the couch, staring at the TV. She looked bored as she lazily flipped through the channels, her head rolling back and forth slightly on the back of the couch. She knew the girl had to be going crazy, being hulled up in the house with nothing to do for so long. Especially while Brittany was at school.

The older woman walks around the couch, and sits down next to the Latina, making Santana look over at her, briefly, before looking back at the television screen.

"Are you bored out of your mind?" Susan asks with a slight chuckle.

Santana shrugs her shoulders, and continues flipping the channel. She had been through ever channel about 3 times now, and even though she knew the television shows weren't going to change for another 10 minutes, she kept flipping anyway. "I'm okay." She finally answers simply, but unconvincingly.

"How about we go somewhere?" The older woman suggests.

Biting down on her lip, Santana stops flipping through the channels. Did she want to go anywhere? She wasn't sure. Part of her wanted to say right here on the couch, or maybe even in the bedroom curled up in her bed. But the other part of her was screaming, and fighting to get out and do something. So she simply shrugs her shoulders in response to the question.

Susan stands up off the couch, and walks over the Television screen. She leans down and turns it off, before turning back to Santana who was just staring blankly at her. "Alright, get up. We're going out." She states firmly, waving her hands, motioning for Santana go get up and get moving.

With a sigh Santana stands up, and heads for the front door, Susan walking behind her, tapping her butt playfully to get her moving faster.

o0o0o0o

Santana picks at her pasta, with her free hand holding her head up on the table. She really needs to eat something, she's aware, but she just can't get hungry. It wasn't even that she was nauseous or couldn't stomach food, she just simply wasn't hungry. She could see herself losing even more weight, not that she'd been properly fed and a good weight in awhile.

She glances up at Susan who eating her own plate of pasta with a pleasant and content look on her face. She figured that the woman would try and grill her and that's why she wanted to take her out to lunch. Somewhere with just the two of them, and where Santana couldn't escape to her room. But so far the women hadn't said anything besides small talk like how nice the weather was today.

"Santana," Susan says, and the seriousness in her voice, makes Santana think she'd spoken too soon on the serious talk. She looks up at the woman, waiting on her to continue talking with hesitancy. "Would you like to try and go to High school?" She asks, catching Santana slightly off guard.

The brunette blinks a couple of times, and shakes her head, "Yes." She finally breathes out. "Is it…can I?" She asks hopefully. She felt like such a loser for getting this excited over going to school. She knew any other kid would love to be in her spot and not have to go, but she actually wanted to. How messed up was she?

Susan swallows a bite of her pasta, and meets Santana's eyes, "I'm not sure." She says honestly, making Santana deflate. "I would have to be your legal guardian to enroll you, and I'm not." She explains, as she watches Santana's face drop more as she continued speaking. "But honey, I'm going to do everything I can to get you into school, alright?" She promises, reaching out for Santana's hand that was on the table.

Santana just about pulls away out of reflex, but catches herself and let's the woman hold her hand. "Okay." She whispers, nodding her head. "Thank you." She responds, giving Susan a weak smile.

Susan smiles and taps Santana's hand a couple of times before pulling it back completely. She grabs the bill the waitress had placed on the table a few moments ago, and pulls her card out. "Do you want to go back home?" Susan asks, after placing the card in the little black book and setting it at the end of the table.

Once again the Latina simply shrugs at the question. She honestly didn't know what she wanted to do. Again part of her was dying to go back home and curl up in bed, and the other half was wanting to stay out and do something. It was probably good for her to get out of the house.

"Brittany should be at Cheerio's practice right now. Do you want to go and watch?" She asks, making the Latina perk up at the mention of Brittany.

"Yeah." She says with a smile, nodding her head.

Susan grins back and the girl and shakes her head slightly. If she knew all it took was Brittany to perk the Latina up, she would have started talking about her when they first got to the restaurant.

o0o0o0o

Santana watches Brittany in awe. She knew she was a cheerio, and she knew Brittany loved to dance, but she hadn't actually gotten to see it until today. The girl was amazing, and had Santana mesmerized with every movement of her body. Santana wasn't even aware that there were other cheerio's out on the field, all she saw was Brittany.

Santana can remember all the times they spent in Emily's room or out in the backyard, dancing and tumbling. They were younger then and of course Brittany had gotten better since then, but it still took her back to those times. They were some of the most enjoyable times in her life. She wished she could just go back those days, when they were innocent and carefree. Brittany was actually still that way it seemed, which made Santana love her even more, but Santana had definitely changed.

The captain, who of course had to be Quinn eventually tells them all that they're done for the day, and they all make their way over to the water coolers. Santana remembers Quinn, and as soon as she'd seen her she had to fight hard to keep a scowl off of her face, although she's pretty sure she failed. She's also pretty sure Susan had seen it, and laughed at her.

She watches Brittany make her way over to get a drink of water with Quinn, and Santana's eyes follow them the entire way. She scowls once again when she sees Quinn's hand land on Brittany's upper back as she laughs at something Brittany had said. Santana couldn't help but go back to what Brittany had said earlier, about kissing girls before. Had Quinn been a girl she'd kissed? "Come on," Santana hears, snapping her out of her thoughts. Thoughts that included how many ways she could kill Quinn with the supplies at hand. Her favorite so far was dunking her head in the water cooler until she drowns.

She looks up to see Susan standing up next to her. The older woman starts to walk down the bleachers towards Brittany and Quinn, and Santana quickly jumps up and follows her. Once she gets closer to the girls her pace slows down and she timidly trails closely behind Susan. She wasn't really sure she wanted to see Quinn again let alone actually speak to her.

"Santana!" Brittany yells cheerfully, her eyes lighting up when she spots the Latina. She runs over to the fence separating the bleachers from the field, and stands in front of Santana. "When did you guys get here?" The blonde asks curiously, looking up at the Latina. Her eyes were scrunched up and barely opened because she was having to look up at Santana with the sun directly behind the Latina, so she brings her hand up over her eyes, blocking some of the sun out.

"Not too long ago." Santana answers with a shrug. "You were awesome." She tells Brittany quietly with a sincere smile.

A blush creeps up on the blonde's cheeks and she dips her head down, breaking eye contact with Santana, "Thanks." She says with a giggle. She scuffs her foot on the turf a couple of times, then realizes Quinn is standing behind her. "Oh!" She says, turning towards the other blonde, her eyes growing wide. "Santana, you remember Quinn." Brittany says, dragging the hazel eyed girl up next to her.

Santana simply nods her head in response, looking the other girl up and down, folding her arms over her chest. "Yeah," She finally says, vocalizing her answer.

"Nice to see you again Santana." Quinn says politely with a warm smile.

"We should all go get something to eat!" Brittany says excitingly. "We can go to Breadstix." The blonde adds, looking back up at Santana. Santana had loved Breadstix when she was younger and had stayed with them the first time. Obsessed was more like it, because after they'd gone there the first time, Santana had asked to go back just about every day.

The brunette bites down on her lip, and shakes her head slightly, looking back over at Brittany, who frowns. "We uh, we just ate." She responds, nodding her head back to Brittany's mother. Honestly she hadn't even touched her food when they went, but she really just wanted to go back home. She didn't want to go out, and she really didn't want to go out with Quinn.

"Oh." Brittany responds with a slight frown, "Another time then." She adds with a shrug.

Santana inwardly groans as she watches Brittany pick up her bag. She could tell Brittany was disappointed, and Santana hates it. She really doesn't want to go out, but she does want Brittany to be happy. Going out with her and Quinn wouldn't be that bad would it? "You know, let's go." Santana says, making the blonde whip her head to look up at her. "I didn't eat much when we went, so I'm kind of starting to get hungry." She explains with a small shrug. She was lying through her teeth, because she wasn't near being hungry, but she wanted to go and make Brittany happy.

A giant grin forms on Brittany's lips, and Santana decides it was definitely worth it. She could survive dinner with Quinn, if Brittany kept that smile on her face. "Awesome." Brittany responds with a firm head nod. "My car is out here." She says, nodding her head to the side parking lot.

Santana nods her head and glances over at Susan. "I'll see you girls at home later." The older woman says, placing a gentle hand on Santana's shoulder, making her flinch slightly. Susan walks off in the other direction, as the three teenagers head for Brittany's car.

On their way over a cell phone starts ringing, and Brittany frantically starts searching her bag for the device as they continue walking. She finally finds it and brings it to her ear, "Hello?" She asks with a smile. "Hey babe, yeah just got done." She says into the phone.

Santana glances over at Quinn who she sees roll her eyes and let out a huff. They both know who it is, and it was obvious to Santana that Quinn wasn't a fan of Brittany's boyfriend either. That made her feel slightly better about her own hatred for him. She doesn't even know him and she hates him, which made her feel unreasonable, but obviously there was something not to like about him.

"I'm going to Breadstix with Quinn, and Santana." She informs the boy as they approach her car. Brittany opens up the back door and tosses her bag inside, before shutting the door back. She looks over at Santana, rolls her eyes, and gives her a playful smile as she listens to Artie ramble about something. Probably something to do with her.

Quinn lets out another huff making Santana look over at the other blonde who was standing next to her. Quinn opens up the back passenger side door and slides in, closing the door behind her, and Santana follows suite in the passengers seat, as Brittany stays outside to finish her conversation.

"Have you met Artie yet?" Quinn asks, after the girls sit in a brief silence.

Santana clears her throat and nods her head, "Yeah," She answers with a shrug. They fall into another awkward silence, and Santana glances out the drivers side window to see Brittany still talking animatedly. "Do you not like him?" Santana finally asks, glancing at Quinn through the rearview mirror.

The blonde rolls her eyes so hard, Santana felt like it may have hurt. "No." Quinn answers sharply. "He's a loser, Brittany could do so much better." She explains in an airy tone. "She says, he's one of the only people at school who doesn't just want her for sex." Quinn adds bitterly. "I think it's all an act, and if he doesn't get it soon enough, he's going to drop her. He's a douche bag, and she just can't see it."

Santana doesn't respond to Quinn, but it definitely made her feel better to know she had reasons to hate him. Also it made her feel better hearing that Brittany hasn't slept with him. It didn't however maker her feel any better knowing Brittany was dating a guy like him, someone who was probably going to end up hurting her. Quinn was right, Brittany deserves better, she deserves the best.

"So, what brings you back to Brittany's?" Quinn asks, making Santana tense. She didn't want to talk about this, especially with Quinn.

Thankfully, she doesn't have to because just when she was opening her mouth, Brittany opens the drivers side door and slides in the seat. Santana lets out a relieved sigh, and watches Brittany put her seatbelt on, and start the car up. "Sorry about that." The blonde apologizes glancing over at both girls in her car.

"It's fine." Santana replies in a low voice.

"Artie is going to meet us at Breadstix." Brittany informs the girls as she pulls out of the parking lot.

Santana bites down on her lip to hold back a groan, but Quinn has no problem letting out a loud puff of air. "Why?" The blonde asks from the backseat, bitterly.

Brittany looks through her rearview mirror and glares at Quinn, "Because he's my boyfriend." The blonde says matter of fact. "I haven't hung out with him in a few days, and he asked if he could come. I couldn't exactly say no." She adds.

"Sure you could." Quinn retorts with an eye roll.

Letting out a sigh, Brittany eyes Quinn through the mirror once again, before turning her attention over to Santana. The Latina has her head down, and she's playing with her fingers in her lap, looking uncomfortable. "You okay?" She asks softly, tilting her head to try and get a better view of Santana. Her eyes flicker back and forth from the brunette to the road, looking at her as much as possible, but keeping them from wrecking.

Santana swallows and nods her head, not making eye contact with the blonde. "I'm just not really hungry." Santana says quietly. "Could you please just take me back to your house?" She asks, making Brittany once again frown.

"It's not because of Artie is it?" She asks confused. She knew why Quinn didn't like him, but Santana didn't even know him. Quinn just didn't like him because he wasn't popular, but she didn't think Santana was like that. Even though Santana hadn't been back in her life for long, she still felt she was the closest with her, and she wanted Santana to like her boyfriend. "Because you said you were hungry just a few minutes ago." Brittany adds, confused.

Shaking her head, Santana finally looks over to Brittany, "No of course not." She assures Brittany. It was only half a lie, because although she didn't like the guy, she really just didn't want to go out. She thought she'd be okay but as they were driving, her anxiety was only increasing, and now that Artie was coming, it just pushed her over the brink. She just wants to go back home and curl up in Emily's bed alone.

"Well, we're here, but I can take you back if you really want me to." Brittany says, as she puts the car into park. She turns in her seat, pulling one leg up to look at Santana better. The brunette has pulled both her legs up to her chest and has her arms wrapped tightly around them.

Santana was about to respond, but gets stopped short when someone knocks on her window. She just about jumps out of her skin at the noise and scoots closer to Brittany's side of the car before looking out the door. Artie and two other boys are standing outside the car, looking at them with smiles, and motioning for them to roll down the window.

Brittany rolls down the passengers side window and smiles at them, "Hey guys!" She greets with waves. "Are you guys going to eat with us?" She asks excitedly.

They all nod their heads, and one of the boys leans down on the door with his forearm, "I don't believe we've met" He says with a smirk, looking down at Santana, "Names Puck." He introduces himself with an arrogant grin. He watches her for a few seconds, expecting her to introduce herself, but she simply looks down at her lap. "And you are?" He finally asks with a chuckle.

"Santana." Brittany responds for the girl, "Leave her alone." She adds sharply, her voice filled with irritation. Brittany looks back at Quinn who has a look on her face she couldn't quite read. She knew Quinn liked Puck for some reason, and it hurt her to see him hit on other girls, but Quinn also knew it was going to happen, and that he wasn't hers. He probably never will be, because he can't commit to just one.

Finally the blonde in the backseat gets out of the car, and Puck seems to just now notice her presence. "Puckerman." Quinn greets, closing the car door behind her.

"Hey whats up babe?" He asks, standing up straight, the smirk returning to his face. He puts an arm around her, pulling her into a hug, and Santana is forgotten, thankfully.

"Don't worry about him." Brittany tells Santana quietly, so just the brunette could hear her. "He's irritating as hell, but he means no harm." She explains, waving her hand in the air. Brittany then climbs out of the car, forgetting that she was possibly supposed to be taking Santana home.

With a heavy sigh, Santana slowly gets out of the car also. She watches Brittany make her way over to her boyfriend, and lean down placing a soft kiss on his lips. She feels a pang in her chest watching the two of them, and she's forced to look away. Her eyes then move over to Quinn and Puck. The boy is nuzzling Quinn's neck, and she's giggling like a fool. Her eyes then dart over to the third boy who is standing, looking just as awkward as she is. "I'm Sam." He introduces with a small wave.

She smiles back weakly, and nods her head, before moving her eyes back down to the ground. "Santana." She replies quietly.

"Alright, I'm starving." Puck announces, "Let's move this party inside." He adds, pulling away from Quinn. He has one arm around the blonde and slings the other around Santana, not noticing how the girl freezes under his touch.

Santana feels her heartbeat pick up, and all she can feel is a heavy arm on her shoulder. It feels like it weighs a ton, even though she knew that was crazy. Her breathing picks up, and she feels the panic rise up through her body. "Stop!" She finally says loudly, pulling away abruptly from the boy, cowering away towards the car.

Everyone stops walking and turns towards Santana after the outburst, looking confused. Puck, looks a little frightened and Brittany looks a mixture of pissed, and worried. "What the hell did you do?" Brittany asks, pushing Puck's shoulder before making her way over to Santana.

"I didn't do anything!" Puck replies, his voice a pitch higher than normal. He raises his hands up in defense, looking wide eyed at everyone who was glaring at him.

Brittany takes in Santana's features, and her brows crease in concern, "We'll meet you guys inside." She tells her friends, glancing over her shoulder at them. Nobody moves and continues staring, but the blonde gives them all a look, telling them to just go. Quinn gets the message and drags them all inside, leaving Santana and Brittany outside alone, "What happened? Are you alright?" Brittany asks, bring her hands up, gently grabbing Santana's arms.

The brunette tenses and pulls away from Brittany's touch, lowering her eyes to the ground, "Can you just take me home?" Santana asks, trying hard to hold in tears. "Please." She whispers out desperately.

"Of course." Brittany responds, nodding her head. She pulls out her keys and opens the passenger side door, directing Santana to get in. Brittany closes the door and pulls out her cell phone sending Artie a quick text, before climbing into the drivers side.

o0o0o0o0o

Santana and Brittany make it inside the house, and up to Emily's room without being stopped by anyone else in the house. Which was a good thing, because Santana really didn't want to deal with talking to anyone right now.

Santana climbs into Emily's bed, deciding she didn't even want to take the time to change her clothes. She was already wearing sweats so she was comfortable and didn't find if necessary to change anyway.

"Do you want me to stay here with you?" Brittany asks, after a couple of minutes, of just watching the girl. She was leaning on the frame of her oldest sisters bedroom door, watching the brunette get comfortable in bed. It was still early, and she was still starving, but she just wanted to make sure Santana was alright. She is here if she needs her, and screw eating and homework.

The brunette merely shakes her head at the question, letting her eyes slip closed. "You can go back to Breadstix." She tells Brittany softly, "I'm sorry I made you bring me home." She adds, her voice giving away that she was now crying.

At the realization that Santana was crying, Brittany quickly makes her way over to the bed, sitting down on the edge. "It's no problem Santana." Brittany says reassuringly. "I don't care about that at all, I just want you to be okay." She explains in a soft tone. She looks down at the brunette who has half of her face buried in her pillow, and wants so badly to reach out to her, but hesitates. Santana had pulled away from her earlier when she tried touching her, and it had hurt, but she knew Santana was just afraid. Of what, Brittany wasn't entirely sure, but Santana was definitely scared of something.

Brittany watches Santana for a couple more minutes, and was almost positive the brunette had fallen asleep. She reaches her hand out, and brushes a stray piece of hair out of Santana's face, but doesn't miss the way Santana's body tenses under her hand, "Santana, it's okay." Brittany whispers, "I won't hurt you."

"I know." Santana replies quietly. "I'm sorry." She apologizes, opening her eyes, to look up at Brittany.

"For what?" Brittany asks confused.

Santana simply shrugs her shoulders, and shifts her position on the bed, to lay on her back. She pulls the covers up to her chest, and keeps her eyes focused on Brittany's baby blues.

Brittany lets out a small sigh then bites down on her lip, "Is it okay if I…" Brittany starts to question, but then stops, "Can I hold you?" The blonde asks timidly.

She watches Santana think the question over, and can see the hesitancy in her eyes. Finally Santana nods her head so subtly, Brittany had almost missed it, and would have if she hadn't been watching her so intently.

"Hold on, I'm going to go and get something." Brittany says, suddenly, standing up from the bed. She races out of the room, leaving Santana confused. But within minutes, Brittany has returned with a change of clothes and her hands behind her back. She walks back over to the bed, and holds out a stuffed duck with a shy smile.

A small and almost not there giggle escapes Santana's lips as she looks at the raggedy duck. He definitely had been through a lot of use over the years, and wasn't in the shape he had been in last time she'd seen him. "Ballad." Santana says quietly with a smile. She reaches out and takes him from Brittany, and holds him to her chest.

Brittany smiles widely and climbs into the bed next to Santana. She lies down on her side, looking down at the Latina who was still lying on her back, looking down at Ballad as she plays with his fur. "What happened back there?" Brittany asks carefully. "What did Puck do?"

Santana's hand stops it's motions of petting the stuffed duck, and her eyes roam around from his tail to his beak, and anywhere but Brittany. She feels the blonde's hand, softly running up and down her left arm, and lets her eyes flutter closed. She didn't want to think about Puck, or what Puck had made her think about. She just wanted to lie there and bask in the touch of Brittany. "Can you just hold me?" She finally asks quietly.

Without hesitation, Brittany slides down in the bed, and wraps her arms securely about Santana. She can't stop the smile from forming on her face, when she feels Santana snuggle into her, burying her face in the blonde's neck.

**So I know it's been awhile! Review and let me know if you're still interested, and want me to continue please! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Chapter 6

Year: 2004

Tears fall freely from Santana's eyes, like a damn had just been broken. She winces as her legs move unconsciously against the fabric of her bedspread. With a groan, she rolls over onto her stomach, sighing in relief as the pain slightly subsides. She buries her head into her pillow and lets out a loud sob, her entire body shaking as her breathing comes in ragged pants. Her body was aching, but nothing compared to the feeling that was contracting in her chest.

She knew she screwed up, and that she was an awful daughter, because of what she'd done. She hadn't meant to though, it was all just a mistake. She should have been more careful, and none of this would have ever happened.

She'd moved out of the Pierce's household and has now been living in this house, with this family for 3 years. Didn't they know that she cared? She would never have done this purposely. She loved them. _All_ of them.

It was an accident.

_Year: 2001_

_"Santana, Brittany, are you guys ready to go?" Susan asks, making her way down the hallway, to her youngest daughters bedroom. She pushes the cracked door all the way open, and sees Brittany and Santana sitting on the floor as Santana watches the blonde carefully tie her shoe laces. _

_The woman can't help but smile proudly as Brittany successfully ties her laces, and stands up, presenting her fully dressed self to her mother. "I did it!" Brittany shouts excitedly, grinning widely at her mother. She glances back over to Santana who was watching her with a look on her face, like a proud mother. _

_Susan doesn't know how she did it, but over the past few weeks, Santana had really been working with Brittany on tying her shoes. Herself, and the rest of the family had been trying to teach Brittany forever, and she just never picked it up. Then Santana comes along and she picks it up like it's nothing. _

_Susan smiles, and kneels down to Brittany's level, taking her small hands into her own. "I am so proud of you baby." Susan tells her sincerely, giving her hands a gentle squeeze. _

_Brittany blushes, and looks behind her at Santana who giggles, still wearing her proud smile. "Can we go to the park now?" The blonde asks, looking back at her mother with hopeful eyes. _

_"Of course." Susan says, "But first, I need to talk to you guys about something." The older woman adds, a sad smile growing on her face. She guides the two girls over to Brittany's bed, and pats on the top of it, motioning for them to sit down. Once they get situated next to each other she kneels down in front of them. "Santana, I have some news for you." She informs, the darker girl, holding her hands firmly in her own. The woman hesitates briefly, and she moves her eyes down to Santana's small hands that were in her own. Taking in a deep breath, her eyes meet Santana's dark ones again. "A family has decided to adopt you." She says carefully. _

_Both Santana and Brittany's eyes widen at the statement, and they look over at each other fearfully. "I don't want to go." Santana says, as tears begin filling her dark brown eyes. "I want to stay here." She adds, pulling her hands out of Susan's grip. She frantically grabs Brittany's hand, and clasps it in hers, holding tight like it was her lifeline. _

_Susan lets out a heavy sigh. She knew this would be difficult. She'd even let out her fair share of tears when she'd found out. Susan stands up and sits down on the bed next to Santana, and wraps an arm around her, pulling her into her side. "Honey, I know you don't want to, but we talked about this already, and you have to." She says, as she tries pushing her own tears back. She couldn't cry again, not in front of them. "They are a really nice family, and they only live about an hour away, so maybe they will let you come visit, or let Brittany come and visit you sometimes." Susan suggests hopefully. _

_She feels Santana's body shake, and hears a choked sob escape the girls mouth. Susan holds the girl tighter and feels Brittany lean up against her arm, holding onto Santana also. It was then when she noticed her daughters tears too. _

_"It'll all be okay girls." Susan whispers, placing a kiss on top of both of their heads. "You aren't going to lose each other. You just won't be living together, I promise." She tells them, trying her best to get through to them. _

_Neither girls say anything. They just sit in Susan's arms, holding each other's hands tightly. They stay like this for a good 20 minutes, before Susan pulls away from them slightly. "She still has a week here." She informs them. "How about we have the most fun we can? We'll go to the park everyday. We can go to the zoo, and the aquarium. Whatever you guys want to do." She says with a small smile. _

_"Can we go to Chuck E Cheese?" Santana asks timidly, tilting her head to look up at Susan. _

_Susan releases a breath, and smiles down at the Latina. "Of course honey." She says, nodding her head. "We can go to the park, and then for dinner later we can go to Chuck E Cheese." She says, making both girls smile. _

_Santana hops off the bed wiping her cheeks with the back of her hands. She starts walking towards the door with Susan following behind her, ready to go to the park. Santana was still upset of course, but if there was one thing her real parents taught her, it was crying doesn't get you anything. She learned that lesson a long time ago. Her and Susan both stop at the door though when they realize Brittany isn't following them, and she's still sitting on the bed, looking down at her feet. _

_Another piece of Susan's heart breaks, and she makes her way back over to her youngest. "Honey." She says, getting Brittany's attention. The blonde looks up at her mother, and her eyes are still filled with tears. "It'll be okay I promise." Her mom tells her desperately. She doesn't know what else she can do. She doesn't want Santana to go anymore than Brittany does, but she also knows, crying won't stop the Social worker from taking her. It's out of her hands._

_Santana walks over to her best friend, and climbs back up onto the bed, sitting next to Brittany. "Britt-Britt." She says softly, taking the blonde's hand in her own. "I'm sad too." She tells Brittany seriously, making the girl look over at her. "I don't want to move, but I promise, no matter where I'm at, you're still my best friend." Santana says with a small smile. "And my girlfriend." She adds shyly. _

_Susan can't help but smile at Santana's words, and look at her in astonishment. This girl seems way too wise to only be 6 years old. _

_Susan notes the blush that takes over both girls faces, and the small smile that forms on Brittany's face at Santana's words. It makes her smile also, and her heart flutter. She knows they're only 6, but she can't help but hope it works out for them. They're adorable together, and they're nothing she's ever witnessed before. _

Santana chokes out another sob, and brings her hand to her face. She wipes furiously at her cheeks, to get rid of the tears, but it's useless because twice as many continue to fall, leaving her action in vain.

Slowly she slides off of her bed, and makes her way over to her closet. She brushes a few pair of shoes aside, and picks up a shoebox. Santana walks back over to her bed and just about sits down, without thinking. She quickly catches herself though, and eases herself back down onto her stomach, winching when the comforter brushes against the back of her leg slightly.

She pulls the lid off the box and digs around through the many letters that are inside. Brittany had written her a letter and she'd received it within the first week of living with her new family. Since then, they'd written each other a couple times a week. The first few were of course written with the help of Susan, and Santana's new mother, Scarlet. But as they got older, and learned how to write, they began writing them on their own.

Santana pulls one out and reads over the letter with teary eyes. Anytime she was feeling upset, or scared, she'd pull these letters out and read over them. She practically has all of them memorized by now as much as she reads them.

The one she's reading now is Brittany talking about their first kiss and how much she liked it. She talks about how she never understood why her sisters and her parents liked kissing, because it never seemed like fun, or a big deal. But then her and Santana kissed, and she liked it a lot.

Santana still blushes at the letter.

_Brittany and Santana are standing by the front door. Santana's bags are next to the door, and her new parents are standing behind her. They seem like nice enough people, but they're different from the Pierces. Her mother, Scarlet is really pale, and has dark brown hair that's almost black, and her eyes are dark blue. She's wearing a black tight dress that comes down just above her knee with plain black stilettos. Her new father, James is standing smiling next to her with brown hair, gelled back. His eyes are dark brown, and he's wearing black slacks and a blue button up shirt. They look like they're not real. Like they came out of one of those photos that come in picture frames. Their smiles seem fake and it doesn't quite reach their eyes, like it does on Brittany's parents, when they smile at Santana. _

_Brittany's parents are behind the blonde, and they're watching her and Brittany, along with Santana's new parents with sad smiles. Santana really wants to hit her new parents because really it's their fault. They don't have to be breaking them up, so where to they get off, looking at her like this is heartbreaking? Obviously they don't care that they're taking her away from her real family._

_"Okay, girls, I think it's time for Santana to go." Mr. Pierce says sadly. He pulls his arm from around Susan and she walks over to Santana, kneeling down to her level. _

_Taking Santana's hands in her own, she smiles up at the small brunette. "I'm going to miss you, but I promise we will see each other again soon." She tells the girl, nodding her head firmly to prove her point. "I love you." She adds, as the tears fall freely from her eyes. She just about lunges at Santana, wrapping her up in a big hug, not wanting to let go of her anymore than Brittany does. Brittany's still got Santana's hand in her own, and it's reached awkwardly behind her as she hugs Mrs. Pierce. But Santana doesn't mind. _

_Once she finally pulls away she gives the brunette a soft smile and stands back up. Mr. Pierce walks over and puts a comforting hand on Santana's shoulder. "We'll see you soon kid." He tells her with a smile and wink. Santana can tell he's holding back his own tears. His eyes are glossy, and he keeps blinking repeatedly. She just nods her head, but doesn't even attempt smiling. She couldn't even fake one. _

_Santana turns her attention over to Brittany, and the blonde launches herself into Santana's arms, making the brunette stumble backwards a few steps. "Don't leave me!" Brittany shouts, crying into Santana's hair. _

_"I don't want to." Santana mumbles, holding Brittany back just as tightly. "But I promise, I'll come back to you. I pinky swore remember?" She asks, pulling away from Brittany to look into her eyes. _

_"Can I kiss you?" Brittany asks suddenly, making Santana's eyes widen. She glances back at the adults who seemed to have not heard the question, or it just didn't bother them. They probably didn't hear it, because Brittany said it quietly. Santana also knows if they heard it, they would've had some sort of reaction. "It's what my mommy and daddy do when they're saying goodbye, and Emily and her boyfriend." Brittany adds with a shrug. _

_Santana looks back at Brittany and just nods dumbly. She doesn't know what else to do. It makes sense. She always sees Brittany's parents kissing, and also Emily and her boyfriend. _

_Brittany smiles widely and glances down at Santana's lips briefly. Not even thinking more about it, the blonde quickly leans forward and pecks Santana on the lips. She's seen her parents do it enough times to know how to do it properly. She's seen Emily and her boyfriend kiss differently, but that just looked complicated, and gross. The way her parents did it wasn't so gross. _

_She pulls back and opens her eyes, grinning widely. She didn't know what was going on, but her tummy was doing flips, and she felt all tingly. Santana's cheeks are bright red and she's looking down at the ground with a shy smile, and she just looks so cute. Kissing Santana is the best feeling ever. She doesn't understand why they haven't been doing this the whole time, she's been here. _

Santana holds back another sob as she finishes reading the letter. Her eyes stare down at the signature at the bottom. It's just Brittany's name with a B that she tried to make fancy, and beside it is a heart. It makes Santana feel all fuzzy inside. Kind of the same feeling she got when she kissed Brittany. She knew exactly what feeling BRittany had explained getting in the letter. Santana felt the same way.

She wants to do it again. She's been wanting to again, 2 seconds after their first kiss. But unfortunately neither parents stood by there word on letting them see each other. Santana's been here 2 years, and she hasn't seen Brittany since that day she left her. They'd had a few dates scheduled in the beginning but certain things came up for either parents, and they'd had to cancel. Eventually they just gave up trying, she supposes. Yet, Santana still promises Brittany in every letter that she will see her again. She will make sure of it.

They have however gotten to talk on the phone. Brittany calls her at least once a week and her mother lets her talk to her for about half an hour. It's the best part of her week. They have way more to talk about than what they can fit in, in 30 minutes, but they seem to manage. She mainly just listens to Brittany tell her stories about her new cat Lord Tubbington. She swears that he reads her Diary, and judges her. She also says he sneaks down into the kitchen and steals all of the candy but she loves him anyways.

Santana never says much, because Brittany is talking a mile a minute telling her all about her day. But that's how Santana prefers it. She could listen to Brittany talk all day long. She loves hearing what the blonde did all week, and her crazy stories. The only things, she hates hearing is when she talks about Quinn.

They'd been in the same kindergarten class, the same one that Santana was in for a few weeks before she moved away. But coincidentally Quinn had ended up in Brittany's class once again this year. Brittany is always telling her stories about the blonde, and Santana hates it. She doesn't know why she gets so angry, and she can't describe the feeling that she gets in her chest, but it sucks.

One of the latest conversation about Quinn, made her even more angry.

_"Hey Tana." Brittany greets into the phone. Her voice isn't as chipper as it normally is, and it unsettles Santana's stomach. _

_"Hey Britt-Britt." She greets back with a grin. She'd been waiting on this conversation since they last hung up the phone a week ago. "What's wrong?" She asks with concern. _

_She hears the blonde sigh into the phone, "Nothing." Brittany breaths out. Santana knows that's a lie of course. "It's just Quinn doesn't like me anymore." She says, just before Santana could call her out on lying. "She was playing with this other girl today at Recess. She's not even in our class." Brittany says dramatically, like it's the worst thing to ever happen. And to her it is. _

_Santana can't lie and say, she doesn't feel a little bit of satisfaction. _

_So Quinn isn't so perfect. _

_But really she feels more anger than anything. She just wants Brittany to be happy, and being friends with Quinn makes her happy. How dare Quinn blow her off like that to play with some other girl. There's no way there is anyone else out there who is more fun than Brittany. "I'm sorry Britt." Santana finally says, deciding that yelling at Brittany, and venting her anger to the blonde won't make her feel any better. "Who is she?" Santana asks, wanting to hear more about the incident. _

_"Her name is Rachel." Brittany answers, and Santana can hear the bitterness in her tone. It makes her smile because, she rarely hears that voice from Brittany. Brittany is nice to everyone, and she's never anything but sunshine and rainbows. _

Santana remembers the conversation like it was yesterday. She also remembers the letter that had come a couple days later, retelling the story with even more detail. It was like she took a few pieces of paper and just vented and wrote down all of her feelings, and it was a lot of feelings.

However Santana also remembers the phone call she'd gotten from Brittany that next week. She talked about Quinn and Rachel once again, but this time she was happy. Quinn still in fact wanted to be her friend, and Rachel also. So now they were like the 3 amigo's as Brittany had called them. The title made Santana's heart hurt. That used to be the three of them.

She'd sat on the phone with Brittany for her half hour listening to Brittany talk about her newest best friend. "She has two dads San." Brittany had said with excitement. She had told Santana she asked her mother about Rachel having two dads, and why that was. Her mom had told her that love comes in all different forms, and sometimes it's two men who fall in love, and have children, sometimes it's a man and a woman and sometimes it's two women.

"I told mommy, that I want us to have babies." Brittany had said, making Santana grin like a fool. She'd never really known it to be normal for two girls to be married, because every family she'd lived with has had a mommy and a daddy. But Mrs. Pierce was smart, and if Rachel's dads could do it than so could they.

Thinking about having babies with Brittany, gave her those feelings again.

Santana pulls herself from her thoughts, a smile gracing her lips for the first time in a while that day. She carefully folds the letter back, and briefly considers reading another one. Instead she decides to write a new one. She puts the box back in her closet and walks over to her desk, and grabs a piece of paper and a pencil. She looks at her chair, but decides standing will be the better option, so she puts the paper on the corner and starts writing.

Santana finishes the letter and puts it in an envelope from the stack her foster dad had given her. She licks it and closes it, proud of herself for writing another on her own. She frowns though as she realizes she has to go and get a stamp from one of her parents. There is no way they'll let her have one now. Not after what she did.

With a sigh, she stuffs the letter in a drawer and turns back to her bed. She walks over and stops in her tracks when she notices blood on the sheets. Her eyes widen and she twists her body to look at her back and sees blood trailing down her legs. She quickly makes her way into the bathroom and gets a towel, to wipe it off.

She goes back into her room with a wet towel, and starts furiously rubbing at the sheets, trying to get the red stains out. But she isn't successful, and it just looks worse if anything. She starts to panic, and paces around her room. Her mother will kill her if she sees it. She bites down hard on her lip and grabs at the sheets. Pulling hard, she successfully strips her bed, and wads them up. She debates briefly on taking them into the bathroom and washing them in there, but she knows water and soap won't get the blood out. She's stained way too many things in her short life to not be aware of that.

Her eyes dart to her bedroom door and back down to the sheets in her hands. She has to do something. With a deep breath she walks over to her bedroom door and cracks it, peaking her head out to see if anyone was out in the hallway.

When she sees the coast is clear she carefully walks down the hallway and slowly down the stairs, being sure to listen for any activity. She successfully makes it into the laundry room without seeing any of her parents. She hears a baby cry and she freezes. She realizes it's upstairs and probably in the nursery by how far away it sounds, so she continues.

She looks at all the knobs on the washer and chews on her bottom lip. She has no idea how to work a washer. There are way too many buttons than she feels there should be. Why cant you just throw the stuff in there and press start, and be done with it.

"What are you doing out of your room?" She hears her mother's voice ask, making her blood go cold and her body freeze.

Santana slowly looks up to see the woman who is looking down at her with her arms folded tightly across her chest. She doesn't trust her voice to speak at the moment, so instead she slowly extends her arms, showing her mother the bloody sheets.

Scarlet's eyes widen, and Santana sees her swallow hard, but the woman doesn't say anything. She simply takes the sheets out of Santana's hands, and tosses them into the washer. "Go back to your room Santana." She says simply, not looking at the younger girl as she pours bleach into the washer.

Without a word, Santana does as she is told.

Later that night Santana is lying in her bed. Her sheets have been replaced. Still without a word. She's lying on her stomach, trying to block out the pain she feels on her thighs. She can hear the baby crying down the hallway, and she pulls the pillow over her head, trying to drown out the noise. It brought her too much pain to hear the screams.

The baby's name is Lily, and she's Santana's new baby sister. She's only 8 months, and she's her parents pride and joy.

When they'd first adopted Santana, it had been because they were unable to have kids of their own. Santana didn't really understand why, but she guesses someone changed their mind, because not long ago her mother had told her she had a baby in her tummy and it was going to be her little sister.

She had been ecstatic when she heard the news. She'd always looked up to Brittany's older sisters. Well, not so much Ashley. She was just mean. But ever since she'd moved out of the Pierce's home, she'd missed having siblings around. Sure they weren't technically her siblings, but she liked being in company of someone other than her parents.

She wanted to be the best big sister ever. Just like Emily.

So for nine months she prepared herself. She thought back to all the times she'd spent with Brittany's family, and remembered the way Emily had treated the two of them. She'd play house with them when they asked her, she taught them how to dance, and do some cheerleading moves. She helped them make brownies, and she cleaned up Santana's scrapes when she had fallen playing tag with Brittany outside, and held her afterwards. These were all the things Santana checked off in her head, to make sure she does with her new little sister.

When the baby is born though, she completely blanks. She doesn't know what to do with a newborn baby. She just lies there and stares at her. She can't sit up, or walk or even talk. Santana can't do any of the stuff her and Emily used to do together. So instead she just sits in her nursery with her and holds her little hand. Sometimes she'd read to her, but within a few minutes she'd start crying, and want to be held, or fed. Sometimes she start smelling real bad, and Scarlet would have to change her dirty diaper. Santana doesn't understand why anyone would want to go to the bathroom in their pants. She doesn't remember ever doing that. It's gross.

As the baby gets older, she gets a little more fun, yet a little more annoying. Santana is there with her the first time she rolls over onto her back, or vice versa, onto her stomach. She sees the joy in her parents eyes when Lily is able to sit up for the first time. Santana doesn't remember a time when her parents looked at her like that. She's sure they have though. Maybe she just hadn't noticed it. Santana's also there when Lily crawls for the first time too. She chases her around the living room, and crawls next to her racing her. It makes Lily crack up, and her parents also.

But sometimes, having a little sister is tiring. She cries all the time, and her room is right next to Santana's, so she hears her at all hours of the night. She smells bad, because she goes to the bathroom on herself at least like 2 times a day. She also started throwing things at Santana, and thinks it's funny.

Santana gets pulled out of her thoughts of Lily, when she hears her bedroom door open. She lies still, and shuts her eyes tightly, hoping whoever it is will just think she is sleeping, and go away.

No such luck.

She feels the bed dip next to her and a hand on her back, making her body tense up. "Santana." It's Scarlet.

Santana slowly lifts her head up, and turns it to the side to look at her foster mother. She doesn't say anything to the woman just gives her a small smile. She sees the wet towel in her lap along with some bandages and medicine.

Scarlet brings the towel to the back of Santana's legs, and gently wipes away the dried up blood. Even as gentle as she is trying to be, it still hurts, and Santana winces in pain. She bites back a groan, and buries her head into her pillow. She doesn't want her mother to know she's hurting her, but she can't hold back her cries.

"Santana, I am so sorry." The woman says softly. Santana can detect the sincerity in her voice, and also the panic. "I was angry, and scared, and it just happened." She tries to explain. "I was just worried about Lily. I thought she was hurt, and I just snapped." She adds, and again, Santana says nothing. "It won't happen again. I promise."

She wants to say something, but a lump is caught in her throat and she doesn't know if she trusts her voice right now. She picks her head back up again as her mother starts rubbing the cream on her legs, and looks over at the woman. "I'm sorry." Santana croaks out pathetically.

Scarlet just shakes her head, and picks up a bandage. "You can't tell anyone about this alright?" She tells Santana, gently yet firm.

Santana eyes her desk drawer where her letter is hidden away. She bites down on her lip then nods her head at her mother, moving her eyes back over to her. "Yes ma'am." She says obediently.

Her mother finishes bandaging up her legs without another word. She pulls the covers over Santana's body, and places a gentle kiss on her forehead, before walking out of the room, turning the light off.

Once she hears her door close behind her mother, Santana opens her eyes back up. She carefully climbs out of bed and makes her way over to her desk, trying not to trip in the dark. She feels around, until she finds her lamp, and turns the bulb on. She then pulls the drawer open and grabs the letter.

She chews on her bottom lip, looking down at the letter with Brittany's name scribbled across it. She had written in the letter what her mother had done, and what she had done to deserve it. She'd told Brittany everything. But now she couldn't send it. Her mother had told her not to tell anyone. And she said she wouldn't.

Without a second thought, Santana tears the letter up and tosses it into the trashcan next to her desk. Not only did she tell her mother she wouldn't tell anyone, she'd also thought a lot more about it. She'd realized telling Brittany, wasn't the best idea. Santana had been taught by her real parents, and these new foster parents not to show weakness. Crying, and whining was weakness, and nobody wants to put up with it. Brittany doesn't want to read about her complaining or crying over something her mother did. Especially when she deserved it. It's pathetic.

She looks into the trashcan at the torn up pieces before walking back over to her bed, and climbing in.

Brittany never needs to know.

**Let me know please (: School is almost out for me, just another week. So if you guys are still into it, I should be updating a lot quicker. **


	7. Chapter 7

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Chapter 7

Year: 2012

A/N: Okay, well I'm back. I still don't have this completely thought out, but I've been getting reviews and messages for this story, and I also miss writing it. So I had to update! I think I may start doing it a little bit different and not switch from future to past every other chapter and just have some flashbacks. What do you guys think? Please help me out, and let me know which you'd prefer? (:

Santana and Brittany make their way down stairs and into the kitchen where they see the rest of the family already sitting down to have breakfast. Susan turns around with a plate of eggs in her hand, and smiles at them, "Morning girls," She greets, carrying the plate over to the table, and setting it down.

They both greet her with tired eyes, and take their places at the table. Santana eyes all the food hungrily, and starts filling up her plate. She still hasn't gotten used to the feasts that Mrs. Pierce makes. She's never had anyone cook so much for her. Even though she never ends up eating much, it makes her feel good inside to know it's there for her if she wants it. And to know there is someone who cares about her well being, and allows her to eat as much as she wants.

They eat their breakfast in mostly a comfortable silence. Everyone to focused on the delicious food in their mouth to really think about conversation. Brian mentions something to his wife about work, but nobody except Susan, really pays attention.

"Santana," Susan's voice says, making her look up at the woman. Her mouth is full of bacon, and she looks a little caught off guard, and nervous about being called out personally. "I have some news for you." She says, and Santana can't quite read her expression. It makes her more nervous. "Ashley, could you give us some privacy?" Susan asks, looking over at her other daughter.

Ashley's brows furrow, and she opens her mouth up to protest, but the glare Susan gives her, shuts her up. She sighs and stands up from the table, picking her plate up with her. She carries it over to the sink and drops it in before exiting the kitchen.

Santana swallows her food slowly, and sits back in her chair. Her eyes drop down to her plate, and she wrings her hands nervously in her lap. She's unsure what kind of news Susan has for her, but it sounds serious. She just hopes she didn't rat her out like she had before.

"I talked to one of my friends who is a lawyer," She starts, and Santana just nods her head slowly. She feels Brittany place a hand comfortingly on her thigh, but her eyes don't leave Susan's.

Brittany smiles at the fact, Santana didn't tense under her touch.

"I told her about the situation, and she contacted a social worker." Susan further explains, and Santana's eyes widen. She'd turned her in!

"I'm not going back!" Santana shouts abruptly. She quickly stands up from her chair, making it fly back behind her, and her eyes dart back and forth between Susan's. "I'm not going back there!" She shouts as tears begin filling her eyes, "I'll….I'll run away again!"

Susan's eyes had gone wide with the outburst as well as everyone else at the table. Brittany's hand was on Santana's arm, trying to pull her back down, but Santana snatched it away, shaking her head. Tears are now falling freely from her eyes, and Brittany's heart breaks. "Mom, she's not going back there is she?" Brittany asks confused. Obviously something had happened with Santana's last family, something bad, and there was no way she'd let Santana go back there.

Susan's eyes close for a brief second as she inhales, steadying herself. "You will not run away Santana." She says firmly. She sees the Latina about to protest, but she cuts her off, "You are officially apart of this family, and if you do, I will find you, and I will kick your butt, and then I will ground your butt." She tells her with a hint of a smirk.

It takes a minute for the words to sink in, but once they do a smile forms on Brittany's face. She understands what this means. Santana still looks a little shocked, and unsure though. "What do you mean?" She asks, wanting to be sure, she's thinking the right thing. _Needing_ to be sure she's not wrong.

Susan smiles gently at her, "Santana we now have full custody over you." Santana says with a growing smile.

Santana's eyes widen, and she drops back down in her chair. Her eyes are moving around the floor as she tries to process this information. She's not going back. She's apart of Brittany's family. _Finally_. "Did…did they talk to my foster parents?" She asks, shaking her head, and bringing her eyes up to meet Santana's. They're probably so angry.

Susan licks her lips and nods her head slowly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to inform Santana of all the details. "They did." She finally answers, slowly. Her eyes meet Santana's and she sees the confusion in the Latina's eyes. She wants to know, she needs to know what they said. "They hadn't even realized you were gone."

"She was gone for like 2 weeks." Brittany says, her eyes widening in shock. How could parents, not realize their kid is missing for 2 weeks?

Santana had seemed shocked my the news for about a millisecond, before shaking her head. It's not surprising. "So what? They just gave me to you?" Santana asks bitterly. It didn't surprise her that they didn't notice she was gone, but it did hurt a little that they were just willing to give her up like that. Not that she ever wanted to go back.

"Well, the state wouldn't let them take you back. They also took the other kids away from them." She explains, and Santana looks up at her shocked.

"San," Brittany breaths out, looking over at her friend. She grabs the brunette's hand in her own, and squeezes it. "You get stay here for good! And you get to go to school." Brittany says with a wide smile. She looks more excited than Santana feels.

She is excited, but she's also feeling a mixture of a lot of other things. She's completely free from them now. She legally belongs to Susan, and Brian. She doesn't have to live in fear. She doesn't have to constantly worry about being sent back to that awful place, or any other awful place at that. She finally has a good home, with a great family. This is what she's wanted her entire life.

Tears form in her eyes again, and she lets out a small sob. This is just too overwhelming.

Brittany's hand squeezes hers, and the blonde looks confused. "Santana, it's okay." She assures her, scooting closer to the Latina.

Santana nods, and smiles through her tears. "I know. I'm sorry." She says, with a small laugh. She hates getting this emotional in front of people. Brittany just brings her other hand to grip at their interlaced hands, and gives her a small smile. "I'm just…I'm really happy." She says, looking up to meet Susan's eyes. "Thank you so much."

Susan smiles and a tear falls from her own eye. She gets up from the table, and walks around to Santana. Pulling her up from her chair, she wraps the Latina up in a big hug.

Santana nuzzles her face into the woman's neck and sobs wrack her body as her grip tightens around Susan.

* * *

><p>Santana walks into the school next to Brittany. Her hands are tightly gripping at her backpack straps, and she feels so nervous, she may just pass out. The hallway is full of students, and a lot of them are staring at her. She doesn't like it.<p>

"Brittany," She says softly, her eyes darting around at all of the people. "Brittany, why is everyone staring at me?" She asks, her voice full of panic. She finally moves her eyes over to Brittany with wide, scared eyes, and the blonde just smiles softly at her.

"Because you're new, and super hot." Brittany tells her matter of fact with a smirk.

Santana can't help but blush at Brittany's words. Her eyes move down to the ground as they continue walking down the hallway, "Well, I don't like it." She admits, quietly.

Brittany smiles apologetically at her, and puts a hand on her back. She leads her over to a row of lockers and stops, "Locker number 401." Brittany says, smiling proudly as she points to it. It's the locker Santana had been assigned to. "It's not really close to mine." She adds with a frown.

It makes Santana frown also, because she just wants to stay at Brittany's side all day. She knows that's impossible. They only have two classes together, and lunch, thankfully. "Thank you Britt," Santana says softly. She looks at the combination written at the top of her schedule and dials it in, before pulling the door open. She doesn't have any books yet, but she has a few binders she can put inside.

"What is your first class?" Brittany asks, grabbing the schedule from her friends hand, as Santana continues placing her things carefully in her locker. "Math. Gross." Brittany says, scrunching her face up. Who wants to start their day off with math?

Santana just shrugs, "I like math." She admits nonchalantly.

Brittany raises a brow at her, and when Santana finally turns to look at her, it makes her blush in embarrassment. "You're a closet nerd aren't you?" Brittany asks with a teasing grin. Santana turns even redder, but smiles.

"I'm a badass." Santana corrects, and it makes Brittany laugh loudly. Santana can't help but smile also, watching her.

"Hey guys." A voice says, from behind Santana. The brunette turns around, and sees Quinn, standing there smiling at her. Santana offers her a small smile, and an awkward wave, before turning back to her locker. "Is this your schedule?" Quinn asks, grabbing the paper from Brittany's hands. She looks it over, and smiles, "We have math and chem together." She informs the brunette.

Santana frowns, but she's still faced away from the blonde so Quinn doesn't see it. She just nods her head.

However, Brittany's eyes light up, "That's great!" she exclaims. "I only have spanish and history with her," Brittany says, a frown forming again, at the thought. "But, now you have someone you know in two more of your classes." She says, brightening up once again. It amuses Santana how animated she can be, and how her mood can change within seconds.

Santana finishes loading up her locker, and closes it, before turning around to face the two blondes. She leans up against her locker, and clutches the backpack straps once again. They still have a few minutes until the first bell. Brittany and Quinn are looking at her like they except her to say something now, but she just averts her eyes to the ground, kicking at an invisible rock.

"Ladies," Puck says, walking up to them. He gives them each a smile. Brittany rolls her eyes and glares at him, Santana averts her eyes down to the ground, and Quinn smiles shyly at him.

"Puck," Quinn greets with a smile.

He gives Quinn another smile, before moving his eyes over to Santana, who was still looking down at the ground. He squeezes past Brittany and Quinn, and leans against the lockers beside her. "Santana," He starts softly. Brittany eyes him carefully, being ready to jump in at any moment if needed. "Santana, I want to apologize about the other day." He says, and Brittany can't help but feel surprised that he actually sounds sincere. "Let me take you out to dinner or something." He adds with a shrug. "Show you how sorry I am." He says, wiggling his eyebrows.

Brittany rolls her eyes. This is the real Puck, she knows. "She's not interested." Brittany says, glaring hard at the boy.

He looks up at the blonde, "How about you let her answer." He says, his glare matching hers. "Santana, what do you say?" He asks, his tone softening as he looks down at her.

Her eyes are still set on the ground, and now her eyes are squeezed shut. She just wants him to go away. "Puck. Leave her alone." Brittany says warningly. She steps between the two, and gives Puck the harshest look, she think she's ever given anyone. He opens his mouth to protest, but she's quick to stop him, "No." She says firmly, holding her hand up, "She isn't interested, now get lost!" She just about screams at him.

Puck scowls, and looks back over at Santana who was still frozen in her spot. She obviously wasn't going to answer him. He lets out a huff, but turns away from them, and walks down the hallway.

Brittany turns back to Santana, and places a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" She asks gently.

Santana inhales deeply, and nods her head. Her eyes still don't meet Brittany's. She swallows hard, and looks up at Quinn, who was glaring down the hallway at Puck. Santana bites down on her lip, and grabs Brittany's arm, pulling her away from the other blonde, "Don't tell anyone, what I told you." Santana says quietly, her eyes darting around the hallway.

Brittany just looks at her confused.

"That I'm…." She says, but pauses. Her eyes eyes look around, and she moves her head closer to Brittany's, "That I'm gay." She whispers in the blonde's ear, before pulling back.

Brittany's eyes widen, and she shakes her head, "I wasn't going to." She says truthfully. "I wouldn't." She assures her. "Although, people won't care." She says softly. "And plus, it'll get Puck to leave you alone, if you just tell him." She says with a shrug.

Santana's eyes widen at the suggestion, and she furiously shakes her head. "No!" She says a little too loudly. A few people in the hallway turn their heads to look at her, and she ducks her head in embarrassment. "No." She says a little softer. "You can not tell him." She says firmly, looking Brittany straight in the eyes.

The blonde's blue eyes dart back and forth between Santana's and she can see the seriousness in her eyes. She also sees fear in her big dark brown eyes, and lots of it. "I won't. I promise." She confirms, nodding her head. She brings her pinkie up, and gives Santana a shy smile.

Santana's face softens, and a relieved smile takes over her lips. She brings her pinkie up linking it with the blonde's.

* * *

><p>Santana makes it through her first 3 classes. 2nd period, she had with Brittany and first, she'd had with Quinn. 3rd period was the only class she was on her own in, and it had been a bit overwhelming. People were staring at her, and a couple turned in their seats to talk to her. Really they just grilled her with questions like, where she came from, and why she was here. She didn't really want to answer anyone's questions. So she just stayed quiet and kept her eyes on the desk, until they'd turned around confused.<p>

It's fourth period now, and she's in the bathroom. The bell has just rung, and she's late, but it doesn't matter. She wanted more than anything to be able to go to school, but now she's starting to regret it. She just wanted to get an education, get her degree and be able to make something out of herself. She didn't want to be stared at like some animal on exhibition in the zoo. And she didn't like being interrogated like some kind of criminal.

She can't remember when her social anxiety first started, or what had caused it. When she was younger, she was never this timid and nervous. She craved attention. There were probably a few things in her life that caused it, actually. She can't pinpoint it on just one.

She checks under all the stalls to be sure that she's alone, then locks herself in one of them. She sits down on the toilet and pulls a baggy out of her pocket. She grabs an already rolled up joint, and holds it between her lips as she digs around for her lighter.

She finally finds it, and lights the joint up. She closes her eyes in relaxation and leans back against the toilet as she exhales, already starting to feel more relaxed.

But a few drags later, she hears the door open, and her eyes widen. She jumps up off the toilet and throws the joint in the bowl, before sitting back down and picking her feet up. She shakes her head a few times, trying to stop the room from spinning and looks through the cracks and sees a short brunette walk by.

The girl coughs, and Santana holds her breath. "Is someone in here?" She asks, and it makes Santana squeeze her eyes shut. Like by doing this, she'll just disappear or something. It kind of just makes her want to fall asleep. "Hello?" The girl calls out. She's right in front of the stall Santana is in. And now she's knocking. "I know someone is in there, I can see you through the cracks." The girl says. It makes Santana deflate. "Are you smoking in there? Because not only is that not allowed on school grounds, but it's very illegal." She lectures. Like Santana isn't aware.

Santana stays quiet. Maybe she'll just go away. And honestly, she's too stoned to even come up with a response.

"I will alert the principal." She says.

Santana lets out a sigh, and puts her feet down on the ground. She's been caught. Maybe she can talk this girl out of telling on her. Maybe she can offer her some. She flushes the toilet behind her and watches the joint circle the toilet, before disappearing in the big hole. Slowly she unlocks the latch, before pulling the door open.

A short brunette with an argyle sweater is standing in front of her. Her eyes are wide as she looks up at Santana. She looks a bit afraid, although she's trying to look intimating, like she's trying to do the opposite and scare Santana. It doesn't really work though.

"Look, you don't have to go and get the principal. I'm done alright? I'm sorry." Santana says, brushing past the short girl.

She makes her way over to the sink and starts washing her hands, before throwing some water on her face, trying to help herself come down from her high. She hadn't meant to get this messed up, but she just couldn't put it out. Every thought that entered her mind about school and the other students, just made her take another drag.

She can see the girl in the reflection of the mirror staring at her. It makes her slightly uncomfortable, but she doesn't let it show. "You're Santana." The girl finally says. It's not a question, it's a statement.

Santana grabs a paper towel and turns around to face the girl, "Congratulations." She says rolling her eyes. "You've never even met me and you know my name." She spits out, leaning back against the sink. She wipes the water off of her face "What are you, like a stalker or something?" She asks, placing a hand on her hip. She knows it's probably a stupid idea to make fun of the girl who could easily rat her out. But it's just a reflex; a defense mechanism. Especially when she's high. It seems like she has no filter.

Rachel swallows hard, and looks down at her hands, "You're staying with Brittany." Her voice wavers slightly. "We're in glee together, so she's mentioned you…" She explains quietly. "She's been talking about you nonstop actually." Rachel adds with a small smile, her eyes looking back up to meet Santana's.

Santana can't help but smile at the thought of Brittany talking about her so much. But then she frowns. How much has she told them? "What's your name?" Santana asks, eyeing the girl in front of her.

"I'm Rachel Berry." She responds instantly.

Santana nods, repeating the name in her head to remember it. "Well Rachel Berry," She starts, pushing herself off of the counter. "Could you maybe, not tell Brittany about this?" She asks softly, her eyes moving down to the ground. "I was just, really nervous about today, and I…I needed to relax…I'm not like a pot head or anything…" Her hands are fiddling nervously in front of her, and she bites down hard on her bottom lip, waiting on Rachel's answer.

"It's our little secret." Rachel finally says softly. Santana looks back up at her, and smiles back when she sees the small smile on Rachel's lips.

* * *

><p>Finally it's lunch time. Santana had survived two more classes. Her last class actually had Rachel in it, and the short brunette basically demanded that she sit by her. She didn't really mind. She liked having someone to talk to and distract her from the eyes on her.<p>

Santana is leaning up against her locker, looking up and down the hallway. Brittany is supposed to be meeting her at her locker so that they can walk into the lunch room together. That made her feel more at ease, because walking into the cafeteria by herself, just made her want to go all mean girls and eat in the bathroom alone on a toilet.

She sees Brittany making her way down the hallway next to Quinn and an asian girl, she'd never seen before. She smiles at the blue eyed blonde, and pushes herself off the locker.

Brittany grins wider, and picks up her pace when she makes eye contact with Santana, "Hey!" She says cheerfully, pulling the Latina into a tight hug, "How has your morning been?" She asks, pulling away.

Santana bites down on her lip and just shrugs, "It's been fine," She says simply. She didn't want to tell Brittany the truth, not that her day had been awful, it just could have been better. She just doesn't want Brittany worrying about her. She'll be fine as soon as she's old news and people stop staring at her like she's an alien or something. Like they never get new kids at this school.

"I'm starving, let's go." The asian girl says, nodding her head towards the cafeteria. She heads for the door, and they all follow behind her.

Once we get our food, Santana sits down next to Brittany at a table with a few other people. The boys from Breadstix are all there as well as Quinn, and the Rachel girl from this morning. There are a few new faces. Some she recognizes from a couple of classes, but none that she was introduced too.

That changes, shortly because Brittany goes around the table, telling her everyone's name. They all seem nice. There's a black girl across the table from her, and she's setting next to two boys. The one who's name is Kurt is dressed in a very weird outfit, and the boy next to him has way too much hair gel in his hair. But again, they seem nice.

The Asian that had been with Brittany, her name is Tina, and her boyfriend's name is Mike. He's also Asian. They've been making out like almost all of lunch, and it's disgusting really.

Puck is sitting next to a tall guy named, Finn with a dopey grin. Puck keeps staring over at her, giving her a smug smile. It makes her extremely uncomfortable, but she doesn't say anything. She just keeps her eyes down as she picks at her food, and halfway listens to the conversation at the table. They're talking about regionals for the glee club. They must all be in the club. Brittany talks about it a lot at home. She really loves it.

Rachel is setting on her right side, and she's doing most of the talking. The others are disagreeing with just about everything she says, and arguing with her. But she argues back like a boss, sounding more passionate about it, than any of the others. She looks a little crazy, the way her eyes widen and almost glaze over as she walks them through choreography of a song, she wants to perform the competition.

"Santana, are you going to join glee club?" Mercedes asks, from across the table.

It makes Santana look up, and she clears her throat, before shaking her head. "No, I mean, I don't know…." She trails off nervously. "Probably not." She adds simply.

"Well, we could always use more members." Rachel says, next to her. "You should audition, everyone has a chance." She says with a smile.

"As long as they don't upstage you." Quinn says with a smirk, giving Rachel a knowing look. "If they do you send them to a crack house." She adds and Rachel huffs. Santana looks confused, and waits on Quinn to say she is kidding or for Rachel to say it's not true, but it doesn't happen.

Santana's eyes widen, and she shakes her head, "I couldn't…" She says quietly. She honestly loves singing and one of her foster brothers had told her she was amazing. Told her she'd be a star someday. She'd always perform around the house for her different foster parents and siblings, she loved it. It was when she was in her element.

But not anymore.

Thankfully, they leave the subject alone, and start arguing about the costumes. Santana lets out a relieved breath, and looks back down at her food. She feels Brittany's eyes on her and looks to her left to see the blonde eyeing her. She's looks confused. Santana shifts in her seat and averts her eyes.

* * *

><p>Santana ends up going to glee with Brittany. She has no intention of joining, but Brittany is her ride, and she decided she'd rather sit in there with her than sit and wait for the blonde outside by herself somewhere.<p>

When they walk in, everyone smiles excitingly at her, asking if she changed her mind. They look a little disappointed when she shakes her head and explains, she's just going to watch. She just shrugs it off and sits down next to Brittany. Artie is on the other side of the blonde, and he keeps eyeing her. He'd been doing it at lunch also.

She had a class with him after lunch, and Brittany had told him to sit with her, and make sure she was okay. He sat on the opposite side of the room from her, and didn't speak a word. Not that she minded. She preferred it actually. She didn't want to talk to him anymore than he wanted to talk to her.

Rachel sits down on her other side, and smiles warmly at her. Santana gives a small smile back.

They talked about ideas for regionals, and it goes the same way it had at lunch. Rachel excitedly tossing out ideas, and everyone shooting them down. Santana could see her getting more and more frustrated, and she couldn't understand why all of these people seemed to hate her so much. It was amusing actually. She looked like a 5 year old getting ready to throw a tantrum.

Rachel gets up and sings a solo for them and completely blows it out of the water. Everyone in the room clap, but seemed bored. Again, Santana doesn't understand it. She was amazing.

She couldn't deny though, that she wants to see Brittany perform. She saw her dance a little, and do some gymnastics and cheerio's practice the other day, and she'd been phenomenal. Call her greedy, but she wants to see more, and see her sing.

Santana looks over at Brittany and just about throws up when she sees her, leaning over to Artie with a smile as he speaks closely to her ear. They're holding hands, and it makes Santana scoff, and fold her arms over her chest as she averts her eyes.

A few other people end up performing, and then they get released to leave. Brittany has cheerio's practice now, and Santana's excited to go and watch her again. Susan had offered to pick her up after school, so she wouldn't have to wait for her to be done with Glee, and cheerio's but she'd quickly shot the idea down, saying she was fine waiting. She preferred waiting actually, but she wasn't going to say that. She'd seem too eager.

So now she's sitting on the bleachers alone, her eyes fixed on Brittany, down on the field. They haven't been doing much dancing. They've been running and doing stretches for the better part of an hour now. The coach seems like a bitch.

She sees someone walking over to her, and she turns her head, and catches Puck walking over. Her body tenses and her heart starts racing in her chest. She wants to run away, but all she can do is stare straight ahead, frozen in her spot.

He sits down next to her, and she just swallows hard, still not moving a muscle. He smells like sweat and outside. She guesses he just got done at practice and it makes her gag a little. He could have at least showered.

"Hey there." He greets her with a smile. "What are you doing up here all by yourself?" She doesn't respond. "Did you like my song in Glee?" He asks with a smug grin. Again she is silent. It makes him frown, and he just studies her.

"Can you please just go?" She finally asks, quietly. She still hasn't moved, and her eyes are fixated on Brittany who is doing sprints.

"Why are you always so tense?" He asks, confused. "You look like you have a damn stick up your ass." He adds, and she clenches her jaw, her shoulders hunching foward. "I'm just trying to be nice." He adds a little bitterly.

She's silent again, and he lets out a sigh. His eyes move out onto the field and they watch the girls in silence. She's still tense, and her heart is still banging inside of her chest. She shifts slightly away from him, but he doesn't say anything, and he doesn't leave.

* * *

><p>They finally get home after stopping by subway. Santana makes her way up the stairs, and into Emily's room. Brittany follows her without an invitation and without hesitation. It makes Santana smile.<p>

The blonde sits on the edge of Emily's bed and Santana sits on the desk chair a couple feet away. They unwrap their sandwiches in silence, and start eating. It surprises Santana how comfortable she feels, and how safe, even though they haven't said much. Normally she'd be feeling anxious and awkward right now, under this kind of silence.

"So how was your first day of school?" Brittany finally asks from behind her hand. She swallows the food in her mouth and looks expectantly at Santana for her answer. Santana simply shrugs her shoulders as she pulls a pickle off of her sandwich and eats it. "Was it that awful?" Brittany asks, tilting her head to the side.

Santana shakes her head, "I just don't like being stared at." She admits softly.

Brittany nods knowingly. "It'll pass." She says, waving her hand. "We don't get a lot of new kids. Everyone in the school pretty has pretty much been going to school together since kindergarten." she explains with a shrug. "So when we do get a new kid, people act weird." She says, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, like she doesn't understand it.

Santana doesn't either.

"Can I ask you a question?" Brittany asks, before taking another bite of her sub.

Santana just nods her head and picks another pickle off the sandwich. She always gets pickles on her subs but she doesn't like them on the sandwich. She just picks them off and eats them by themselves.

"Why did you get all shy and stuff when Mercedes asked you about glee club?" Brittany asks curiously. "In all the letters you wrote me, you used to always talk about how much you love singing and dancing, and how you'd always put on performances for your family." the blonde explains, her brows scrunching up in confusion.

Santana rolls her eyes but a small smile appears on her lips as she looks down at her sandwich. Like the answer will be inside of it. Her face soon falls though, and her brows knit, "That was when I was a kid." She says with a shrug. "Just because I liked messing around when I was little, doesn't mean, I'm any good at it." She says simply.

"Well, do you think you're good?" Brittany asks. "I mean, you could sing for me and I can tell you." she suggests. "Or we can sing together." She adds, her eyes brightening at the idea. "It can be just like old times, when we'd put on performance with Emily." She says with a giddy smile.

Santana shakes her head, "Britt, I was a kid. I've grown up, and I've changed. I don't like doing that stuff anymore." She explains quietly. She sees the blonde ready to protest, but Santana cuts her off, "Brittany, I'm not interested, can we please talk about something else?"

Brittany's face falls, but she nods her head.

_This_ is an awkward silence.

**A/N:** Well if you guys are still reading and interested then of course, please let me know! (: Also like I said earlier, I want to know what you guys think about me having all chapters present time with just flashbacks or if you want me to keep going back and forth? Which you'd prefer? So please help me out! (:

Also let me know if you'd like to see Santana hook up with anyone or even just like someone. It's Brittana endgame for sure though! (:


	8. Chapter 8

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Chapter 8

A/N: Again, I'm terribly sorry for the wait! I'm hoping the inspiration will start coming easier for me!

Brittany and Santana are still sitting quietly in Santana's room. They finish up their dinner, and Santana carefully wads up the paper, stuffing it into the subway bag. She stands up from her seat and holds her hand out for Brittany's trash.

The blonde smiles and wads hers up, before handing it over to Santana with a soft, "Thank you," She watches the Latina make her way towards the door, and she stops her just as she's about to walk out. "Do you want to like watch a movie or something?" Brittany asks suddenly and a bit unsurely. They haven't really hung out much. Santana usually keeps herself locked away in her room. If she does come out and hang out with Brittany it's normally not for a long time.

It makes Santana stop in her tracks and slowly turn around. She just shrugs her shoulders, "Sure." She replies simply. She stands hovering in the doorway, biting down on her lip, wondering if she should go throw the trash away, or wait for Brittany to say something else. She doesn't want to be rude and just walk out, if the blonde is going to say something.

"I'll pick one out, unless there is something you'd like to watch." Brittany suggests, standing up from her chair. "Emily has a pretty good collection that she left behind." She says with a smile, making her way over to the DVD case.

Santana releases her lip and soothes the bite with her tongue, before replying. "You can pick one out. Whatever you want is fine with me." She replies with a soft smile, before walking out of Emily's room. She goes downstairs into the kitchen to throw their trash away. She sees Ashley and Susan sitting on the couch in the living room and she prays, that they don't hear her and stop her. She doesn't really mind Susan, but she doesn't want to talk to Ashley.

Susan's reading a book and Ashley is flipping through the TV channels, eating a bowl of cereal. They don't even budge as she makes her way into the kitchen and then back up the stairs. _Thankfully_.

Santana walks back into Emily's room and closes the door behind her, after Brittany asks her to. The blonde is already lying back on her bed with her back against the headboard, pushing buttons on the DVD remote to turn the movie on.

Santana bites down on her lip, debating on where she should sit. Emily has a queen sized bed so even is she sits on the bed, mirroring Brittany's position, they wouldn't be right on top of each other. But still was that too close? Should she go back and sit on the computer chair? It's not really that comfortable, and she doesn't really want to sit on it for a close to 2 hour movie, but she also doesn't know if she should crawl up next to Brittany.

She opts for just placing herself down at the foot of the bed, letting her feet dangle off the edge. The main menu of the DVD pops up as she sits down, and she can't help but smile. The lion king. This was always her favorite movie as a kid, and it makes her feel all warm inside that Brittany had obviously remembered. She hasn't' watched the movie since she stayed with Brittany the first time.

"I don't bite y'know." Brittany says, and Santana can hear the smirk in her voice. Santana turns her head to look at Brittany who is now patting the empty space next to her. "Come get comfortable." She adds giving Santana a warm look.

Santana turns back around and bites down on her lip, contemplating if she should move or not. It doesn't take too much thought though, and she's carefully scooting back on the bed until her back this against the headboard.

She settles herself, letting her legs fall straight out onto the bed, and she looks over, sensing Brittany's eyes on her. The blonde is smiling at her. Santana gives her a small smile back and the blonde pushes play on the remote, averting her attention to the TV. Santana's eyes stay on the blonde a moment longer. She watches as Brittany's eyes light up with a childlike innocence as the movie begins. It makes Santana's heart beat a little faster against her ribcage. She quickly looks away though, not wanting to be caught staring.

o0o

Throughout the movie Brittany is singing along to all the songs. It makes Santana's heart swell and she tries her best to bite back a smile, and act unfazed by Brittany's adorableness. She hides a few chuckles behind coughs into her fist.

Her and Brittany used to always watch Disney movies, and sing along to them. The Pierce's own every Disney movie ever made. It never failed to make Santana's eyes widen as she looked the tall shelf up and down, picking out their next movie.

They'd mostly watch the movie's by themselves in Brittany's room. They'd dance around, jumping on the bed and singing at the top of their lungs to all the songs. It was the best time of Santana's life. She really wishes she could just go back to that time period. When she was young, innocent and living with the Pierce's. Sure she was living with them now, but she's neither young or innocent anymore.

Life just gets too complicated as you get older.

Towards the end of the movie, Santana finds herself unconsciously singing along to the ending song. It took until the song was just about over, for her to realize she was singing with Brittany. She quickly stops, glancing over at the blonde. But Brittany is too wrapped up in her own singing to even notice Santana had begun, let alone stopped.

The movie comes to and end, and Santana lets out a yawn, shifting in her spot, to slide down slightly. It's only a little after 10 and she's beyond tired. She feels extremely lame.

Brittany gets up off the bed, and takes the DVD out of the player, and puts it back in the case. Santana's eyes follow her sleepily around the room, watching her every movement. She's so graceful. She makes, putting a DVD up and turning the TV off, look like the nutcracker. It amazes Santana.

"You have an amazing voice San," Brittany says quietly, as she places the DVD back on the shelf on the other side of Emily's bedroom.

Santana's eyes widen, and she sits up a little straighter. Apparently Brittany _had_ heard her. She just shrugs, and tries to look as nonchalant as possible, "Whatever." She dismisses. "Nowhere near that Rachel girl in glee today." She adds quietly. She wishes she was, but that girl was incredible. She's going to be a star for sure.

Brittany waves her hand in the air, brushing the comment off with a grimace. "You're better than her." She tells the brunette truthfully. She makes her way back over to the bed, and crawls back into her spot next to Santana. "She'd never admit that though." She adds, rolling her eyes slightly. "She thinks she is best at everything."

"You don't like her." Santana notes, eying the blonde next to her. Its not really a question, because it seems obvious. So really, she guesses she is stating the obvious.

The blonde shrugs, "I don't not like anyone." She says with a bright smile. "She can just be annoying sometimes." She adds a little quieter. "She just hogs all the songs and stuff, and never lets anyone else do anything." She explains. "I mean, I don't really care because I'm not a great singer, I just like to dance, but there are a lot of really good people in the group who don't get to sing." She says with a hint of a pout.

Santana can't stop a tiny grin from forming on her face, watching Brittany pout. Her brows are furrowed slightly like she's remembering someone in the group who can sing, or a time when Rachel hogged the spot light. She looks a little sad, and confused like a puppy when he hears a high pitched, strange noise.

The brunette doesn't respond, she just lets out a sigh, and shuffles back down onto the bed. She pulls the covers up around her body, thankful that she pretty much always wears sweats now, so she doesn't have to get up and change. "You have a really nice voice." Santana mumbles sleepily, letting her eyes slip closed.

Brittany simply beams and even though Santana has her eyes closed, she can feel it. She knows she's doing it. It makes an embarrassed flush creep up on her cheeks, and she keeps her eyes closed.

"Thank you." Brittany whispers sincerely.

o0o0o0o

Santana wakes up the next morning, her loud annoying alarm clock going off in her ear. She reaches over, shutting it off before burying her head back into her pillow. But that's when she realizes, her pillow feels nothing like a pillow. Her eyes snap open and she looks down. She's lying on top of Brittany.

She has no clue how it happened. She's pretty sure she fell asleep only minutes after Brittany told her thank you, for complimenting her voice last night. Brittany must have stayed in the room with her and fell asleep also.

How she landed on top of her, she's not sure.

She feels Brittany shift underneath her, and feels her heart race pick up. Will Brittany be mad? Of course, she'll be mad! They're cuddling and she has a freaking boyfriend. It's not like last time when she was comforting her, and holding her as she was crying. They are just straight up cuddling.

Santana carefully picks herself up off of the blonde. When she sits up she notices the girl looking at her with a tired smile. Santana just smiles back awkwardly, and shuffles over to her side of the bed, curling up in the blanket.

"Where are you going?" Brittany asks, her voice thick with sleep. It also has a hint of amusement to it. "You were warm." She adds, pulling the covers up higher to her chest to cover her body that's now exposed to the cool air.

Santana lets out an awkward chuckle, but doesn't move. She buries her face into the covers and closes her eyes. She'd noticed Brittany's attire, and it wasn't her cheerio's uniform she'd been wearing last night, when the movie had ended. Brittany had gone into her room to change, then came back to get in bed with her.

"What are you smiling at?" Brittany asks with a chuckle, poking at Santana's cheek.

The brunette's smile fades and her eyes snap open. She hadn't realized she'd been smiling. "Nothing." Santana lies, looking up to meet ocean blue eyes.

"Well keep doing it." Brittany tells her with a warm smile of her own. "I love your smile." She says sincerely. Santana gives her a timid smile and her eyes look down at her hands that are clutching the blanket to her chest. "We should get ready for school." Brittany suggests, throwing the blankets off of her body.

She stands up and stretches her arms above her head, before looking back down at Santana. The brunette hasn't budged. She's just staring up at Brittany with tired eyes.

"Come on lazy." Brittany says jokingly. She pulls the covers off of Santana, who shrieks in response and grasps tighter at the covers, trying to pull them back over her. "We're going to be late." Brittany giggles. She crawls back up on the bed, hovering over Santana who was completely covered up by the comforter.

Santana shakes her head from underneath her cocoon. "I don't wanna go to school." She mumbles quietly. "I don't feel good."

Brittany's brows furrow, and she gently pulls the blanket away from Santana's face. "I thought you liked school. You were so excited when you found out you could go." Brittany says, confused. She reaches out and pushes a stray piece of hair behind Santana's ear, giving her a gentle look. Santana doesn't respond. "What's the matter?" Brittany asks carefully.

Santana inhales deeply and averts her eyes away from Brittany. "I just don't like feeling like I'm some kind of animal at a zoo." She replies quietly. "I just want to go to class, but everyone just stares at me or whispers about me." She explains. "I don't like it."

Brittany frowns and runs her fingers through Santana's brown hair. "I understand." She says quietly with a nod. "But it'll get better, I promise." She assures her. It doesn't make Santana feel much better though. "This is a small town, and everything just gets blown out of proportion. One thing happens and it's all anyone can talk about for a few days. But something else will happen and you will be old news very soon."

Santana bites down on her lip and slowly nods her head. She still looks nervous, but she slowly sits up, to get out of bed.

"Just hang in there, and I'm with you alright? If you need anything at all, I'll be there with you. Even if I'm not in class with you, just text me. My number is in that phone mom gave you alright?" She says, ducking her head to make eye contact with Santana.

"Okay." Santana says simply giving her a week smile, meeting Brittany's blue eyes.

o0o0o

Santana walks into her English class, and makes her way over to her desk she'd chosen for herself yesterday. It's in between two girls. She has yet to talk to or meet them, nor does she really plan to, but she feels better sitting in between girls than boys.

But when she approaches her desk, she notices, the red head from yesterday isn't sitting next to her. It's Artie.

She looks at him, and he's staring at her, but she doesn't say anything. She just cautiously sits down in her seat, trying to avoid looking at him. She places her bag down on the floor and digs through it for her English book and a pen. She has no idea why the hell he is sitting next to her, but she can't deny that she's a little curious. A little nervous too.

"So Santana," His voice finally says.

She grimaces, and takes in a deep breath composing herself, before turning towards him with a small smile. "Artie." She greets back with a small head nod. He's frowning at her, and it quickly makes her smile disappear.

His eyes are boring into her, and she can feel her cheeks flush. Her eyes shift around uncomfortably, and she debates on moving seats. But there are no more open. She's stuck here. Hopefully the teacher will come in soon.

"How is living with Brittany?" He asks. She can tell he really doesn't care how she's adjusting or how she is doing. She really doesn't know why he even asked. Is he looking for a certain answer? Is he just doing this because Brittany told him to look after her? She definitely doesn't need him looking after her, nor does she want him near her.

"It's great." Santana responds simply, nodding her head to confirm her statement. "Just like old times."

He narrows his eyes at her briefly, "Oh right, you've lived with them before." He states, rather than asks. But she nods her head anyway. "Why? and why are you back now?" He just about spits out. She doesn't think he'd meant it to come out so harsh. He hates her, she's aware, but she knows he's trying to control it. Otherwise he'll be in trouble with Brittany.

"Brittany hasn't told you?" She asks curiously. She isn't really sure who, and what Brittany has told about herself or why she's staying with them. She hopes she hasn't said anything at all to anyone.

He shakes his head slowly, and she lets out a breath of relief.

Before another word can be spoken, the teacher walks in. Santana just about shrieks in happiness when the older woman walks into the room. it means she doesn't have to talk to Artie anymore. Tomorrow, she'll make a note to get here earlier so she can avoid sitting next to him.

o0o0o

Santana is standing up against her locker, her books pressed tightly up against her chest. School is over, and she's waiting on Brittany. The blonde has cheerio's practice now, and she told her she'd meet her at her locker when she's out of her last class.

She's trying to stay as close to the lockers as possible. So close that it seems as if she's trying to mold herself into it. Students are packing the hallway, eagerly trying to push one another out the doors. She's just trying to stay out of the mess. It's like someone opened up a gate for a heard of cows. And she's so tiny, she'd easily get trampled.

Finally, she sees Brittany walking down the hallway towards her. More like gliding. The crowd seems to part for her, and she easily makes her way through the madness without being touched. She has a megawatt smile, and her eyes lock with Santana's.

It makes Santana feel just as weightless. Like she's floating in the air, just like Brittany seems to be doing. The madness in the hall is all a faded and out of focus. She smiles back just as widely, and grips onto her things even tighter, trying to patiently wait for Brittany to reach her.

"Hey Britt Britt." Santana greets as soon as the blonde is in front of her. She's smiling so hard, it's starting to hurt her face, but she can't seem to wipe it away. She hasn't seen Brittany in 3 class periods, and although it's kind of pathetic, she's already missing her.

"Hi." Brittany greets, her smile just as big as Santana's.

They stare at each other for a few minutes, each wrapped up in each other. Santana doesn't even notice the other blonde, standing next to them, eying them both. "Hey Santana." Quinn finally greets.

Santana's eyes tear away from Brittany and snap over to Quinn. She gives a sheepish smile, and feels her cheeks burning bright red. "Hi." She mutters, averting her eyes down to the ground. She hadn't even noticed Quinn was standing there. Had she been there the whole time? God, she must have seen her looking like a total fool.

Santana's eyes move back over to Brittany, who is staring at her. She's still wearing a smile, but it's not as big. It makes Santana smile back shyly, before having to avert her eyes away from this blonde also.

"Alright, I'm going to practice. I'll see you there, whenever you guys are done with whatever…this is…" Quinn says, gesturing between the two. She gives them a pointed look, before squeezing in between them, and making her way out to the field.

"I guess, we should go." Brittany says with a small giggle. Santana's glaring down the hallway at Quinn's retreating figure.

But at Brittany's voice, she looks over at the girl, and smiles. "Okay." She says, nodding in agreement.

They turn and start heading for the doors, leading outside to the field.

"Brittany, why was Artie talking to me in class today? Did you tell him to?" Santana asks suddenly. She'd been debating all day, what she'd ask Brittany. She wanted to say something to her about how she doesn't need him to look after her, or anything. But she also doesn't want to upset the blonde. She knows she's just trying to help.

Brittany smiles and gives Santana a shrug, "Of course I told him to." She responds as if she did a good thing. "He's my boyfriend, and I want you guys to be friends. Also I know you've been having a hard time, so I figured, you'd feel better having someone you know sit with you and talk to you." She explains, as they emerge through the doors.

Santana winces and brings her hand up to shield away the harsh sun. "It makes it worse." She responds bitterly. Brittany just looks at her confused. "I don't want your boyfriend talking to me Brittany." She says a little harshly. Way harsher than she'd meant. Uh oh.

"You don't like him?" Brittany asks, stopping. She turns towards the Latina, and studies her face. Santana doesn't respond, but that's enough of an answer for Brittany. She scoffs and starts walking again, leaving Santana behind.

Santana looks a little surprised at the small outburst. She also feels a little guilty. She'd never seen Brittany upset, and she has definitely never been the one to cause it. Not since they were little anyway. But that didn't count, she was 5 and didn't know any better. "Brittany, I'm sorry." Santana apologizes. She picks up her pace, trying to keep up with the blonde, but Brittany's legs are a lot longer and quicker than her own. "Brittany." Santana says, a little more sternly, trying to get the blonde to stop or at least slow down.

"You're just like Quinn!" Brittany says suddenly. She stops abruptly and whips around to face Santana. It makes the brunette jump a little, not expecting the 2nd outburst. This one much more abrupt. "She hates him, and she has no good reason. You don't even know him!" Brittany just about screams at her. "You're not being fair."

Santana sighs deeply, and closes her eyes, not wanting to scream at Brittany, or say anything she will regret. "If we're talking fair, he doesn't like me either." She says quietly, shrugging her shoulders. She doesn't want to argue with the blonde, but she also wants to point out the obvious. He has no reason to not like her either.

"Sure he does." Brittany assures her. But even she doesn't sound convinced. "He's just protective of me, and he's a little insecure…" Brittany explains.

Santana's eyes narrow, "What the hell is he afraid I'm gong to do?" She asks confused. "Like, stab you in your sleep or something?"

Brittany shrugs and looks around awkwardly. "I mean, he knows I'm into girls also, so I guess he's afraid I'll cheat or leave him or something, now that we're living in the same house." She explains. "He's super paranoid, because not only does he have to worry about boys, but girls too. Although I tell him all the time to trust me." She says, her voice dripping with annoyance.

"Does he know that I'm…" Santana starts, but stops, not being able to say the word. She's said it a few times before, but it's still hard to get out sometimes. Especially in a public place, where anyone could overhear. Not that there is anyone around.

Brittany shakes her head furiously. "No, I told you I wouldn't tell anyone. That includes him." She reassures the Latina. "He just thinks, anyone I talk to, I'm sleeping with." She says, rolling her eyes. "You could be a gay man, and he'd think it was just a cover up so he wouldn't get suspicious."

Santana's eyes widen slightly at that. That's extremely jealous; too much. A little jealousy is good, it means the person cares, but that's just psycho. But instead of commenting, she just nods in response. Her eyes drop down to the ground, and she kicks around a small rock on the concrete. She doesn't know what to say now. Should she apologize again? Brittany does have a point, she doesn't know him. He could be an awesome guy. She just has a bad vibe about him. Or maybe _she's_ the jealous.

No, of course not. Brittany isn't hers.

"I need to get to practice." Brittany breaks the silence. Santana looks back up at her and nods, before following her to the field. She watches Brittany go out on the field with the rest of the team, and she makes her way back up the bleachers. She sits about 4 rows up on the 20 yard line. This is the side Brittany had been on last practice, during their dance.

She watches the blonde start stretching with Quinn and another girl she's never met before. She's seen her around school, and she's in her math class though.

Santana lets out a heavy sigh. She really hopes Brittany isn't mad at her. Because she's totally right. Santana has no reason to hate Artie. Brittany said he was overly jealous, but since she's been here, he hasn't done anything awful to Brittany. Not that she's told her about anyways. They've gotten into a few fights, but Brittany always brushes it off and says he's being stupid and it's no big deal.

"Hey hot stuff." Puck says, sitting down next to her. He's wearing his usual smirk, and it makes her roll her eyes.

"God, would you please just leave me alone." Santana says, clearly frustrated. He's been trying to talk to her all day today. She swears he's like following her or something. "I'm not interested." She says, moving her eyes back onto the field to watch Brittany.

She hears him let out a small breathy chuckle. "I brought you something." He says, just brushing the comments off. Obviously, not planning on leaving her alone anytime soon. But she doesn't respond. Not even a glance. "Come on." He says, nudging her shoulder with his own.

She sighs deeply, "No thanks." She responds quickly, still not moving her eyes away from the field.

"You don't even know what it is." He continues. He rummages around the pocket on the inside of his jacket, and it makes her look over.

She doesn't want him pulling out some weapon or something dangerous. She eyes his hand carefully, ready to flee. He pulls out a plastic baggy full of weed. Her eyes widen, and she glances around the stadium, making sure nobody else is around. Without a word though, she looks back over to the cheerio's, ignoring him.

"What do you say?" He asks with a grin. He nudges her again, she still doesn't respond. "Come on, it'll only take a few minutes, we'll be back before they're done." He prompts. "It has to be more fun than sitting here watching them." He says, nodding his head towards the girls on the field.

"I like watching them." She responds with a shrug.

"Fine, we'll smoke for like 5 minutes and come back. It'll be even better when you're high." He says with a chuckle. "Come on, you always seem so tense. This will just loosen you up."

Santana pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and glances over at him. She quickly looks back over at Brittany. She doesn't need to do this. and she really doesn't need to go away somewhere alone with Puck. Who knows what he may do. "Just under the bleachers?" She finally asks, quietly. It was close enough so that all she has to do is shout, and someone will hear.

She's not looking at him, but his triumphant grin just about slaps her in the face. "Promise. And no funny business." He says, as if he'd been reading her mind.

She looks back over at him, studying his face. Even though he's wearing one of those shit eating grins, she can tell he's serious. He's annoying as hell, but maybe he's not stupid. "Okay." She finally agrees.

He does a little fist pump and jumps up, motioning for her to follow.

o0o0o

Santana holds the joint up to her lips and inhales deeply. Her eyes flutter shut at the sensation. She hears Puck chuckle making her open her eyes back up. He's staring at her smiling.

"Take it easy." He tells her, pulling the joint out of her hand. She just plucks it out of his hand once again and takes another long drag. She exhales easily, and he raises his brows. "You've done this before." He notes, impressed.

She doesn't respond to his question. What is she supposed to say? Yeah, she does it all the time. Compared to what all she has done in her life, weed is nothing. But she of course isn't going to share that fact with him. Instead she takes another drag, before passing it over to him.

She'll probably end up smoking most of the joint herself, but who cares. She didn't really want to be down here with him anyway. He asked for it. And that's only half a lie. She does want to be here, and she does want to be smoking, she just doesn't want him here. But hey, she'll take all the free weed she can get. Maybe she can even ask him to hook her up. Her own stash is running low, and she doesn't know anyone or anywhere to get any around here.

He passes the joint back over after he takes a long drag. He has a coughing fit afterwards and she giggles. If she wasn't so high, this would be a lot less funny to her. She'd probably throw some harsh comment at him, making fun of him for being a pussy. But right now, all she does is giggle.

"You have a nice smile." He tells her, with a smile of his own. It's a genuine smile, not one of those arrogant smirks, she's so used to receiving from him. "You should definitely do it more often." He tells her.

Santana briefly remembers those words coming out of Brittany's mouth this morning. It makes her feel all giddy, and she lets out another grin. He probably thinks she's smiling because of what he had said, so she bites down on her lip, trying to hold it back. She definitely doesn't need him thinking she's smiling at him. "I haven't had many things in my life worth smiling about." She responds with a shrug, before taking another drag.

"I know how you feel." He says with a sigh. Santana just eyes him, because she's pretty sure, he has no idea. "I haven't seen my dad since I was a kid and my mom is in rehab for coke. I live with a crappy foster family, who doesn't give a shit about me." He explains, reaching over to take the joint. He takes a long drag, obviously needing it after that admission.

Santana stays quiet for a moment, before letting out a small sigh. "I know that feeling." She admits quietly. "I've lived with crappy adoptive parents, and then crappy foster parents." She tells him. She's surprised, she admitted that much to him. It must be the weed.

"But now you're living with Brittany right?" He asks, and she nods, not being able to hold back a mega watt smile. "She's awesome, and her parents seem cool too. You're lucky." He tells her, passing her the small joint. It only has about one more hit on it.

"I know." Santana agrees, nodding her head. He gives her a smile, and she smiles back, before bringing it to her lips. She inhales the last of it, then throws the tiny butt into the grass.

Puck lies back in the grass, and it only takes about a minute of hesitation before Santana lies back next to him. She of course makes sure there is about a foot distance between them. "I'm not going to sleep with you." She suddenly blurts out.

It makes laughter erupt from Puck's throat. He's laughing so hard, he's almost crying. Santana knows it wasn't really that funny, but the weed is exaggerating it. Honestly she doesn't know why it's funny at all though. She's serious.

He finally calms down and looks over at her, "I didn't ask you to." He says, giving her a pointed look.

Santana rolls her eyes, "Why else would you keep trying to talk to me?" She asks accusingly.

He simply shrugs in response. "I'm not the jerk everyone says I am." He answers simply. Santana just eyes him. "I can be a decent guy y'know." He says with a chuckle. "A good friend too." He adds, reaching out to nudge her shoulder. "Although, I will say, if you ever change your mind, I'm down." He says with a smirk.

Santana rolls her eyes and stands up, "Just when I thought you were a decent guy." She says, offering out her hand for him. He chuckles and accepts the hand, standing up.

o0o0o

They sit back on the bleachers in mostly silence as they watch the rest of the cheerio's practice. There are a few leftover giggles here and there when a cheerleader makes a weird face, or _falls_ on her face. But besides that, they don't speak. And for once Santana feels at ease around him.

Once practice is done, Brittany makes her way up the bleachers, meeting them. She smiles at Santana, before turning to eye Puck carefully. "You okay?" She asks, moving her eyes back over to the Latina.

It makes Santana's heart flutter, that she's being protective. It's cute, and she can definitely get used to it. Not that she needs protection. "I'm fine." She reassures her, giving her a confident smile.

"Okay, well are you ready to go?" She asks, bouncing on her feet. "I'm starving, and dad is making hamburgers tonight." She says, excitingly.

Santana giggles, and stands up, along with Puck.

"Hey guys, I'm having a party this Friday. You should totally come." Puck suggests, looking at them both hopefully.

Santana bites her lip and glances at Brittany. The blonde just gives Puck a look, "Maybe." She answers vaguely. But it's pretty obvious that maybe is really a no.

The blonde turns to leave with Santana and Puck follows closely behind. "Come on guys, free booze and dancing. I know you love to dance Britt." Puck prompts, giving them a cheesy smile. He even clasps his hands together in front of his chest, giving the overall effect.

"I'm in." Santana says, before Brittany can protest.

Puck smiles widely and sticks his fist out to bump with the brunette. She does with another giggle, rolling her eyes at him. Brittany watches them with her brows furrowed.

When Santana's eyes land back on Brittany, she sees the confusion on her face, and looks away uncomfortably. "I guess we'll be there." Brittany says slowly, still eying Santana.

A/N : Let me know what you think! Especially about the whole Puck thing?

Tumblr: o0h3ath3rmich3ll30o. tumblr


	9. Chapter 9

**The Light At The End Of The Tunnel**

**Chapter 9**

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait once again! You guys are awesome and patient and I thank you for that! I actually feel pretty good about this chapter so hopefully you guys like it also! (:

Santana follows Brittany into the Pierce's house, rolling her eyes. Brittany has been grilling her about Puck since they left practice. "Brittany it's not a big deal." Santana groans, throwing herself on the couch. She tries to recall if she saw Ashley or Susan's car outside when they pulled up. She can't remember, she wasn't really paying attention because she was arguing with Brittany.

"I thought you told me you were gay." Brittany says, placing her hands on her hips. She's looking down at Santana giving her a stern look. If her face is any indication of it, she seems to think Santana is lying to her about it.

Santana huffs and folds her arms across her chest. She glances around the room out of habit, hoping that Susan and Ashely aren't here to hear this. "I _am_." She says, tightening her arms across her chest, holding herself. "Just because I was talking to him, doesn't mean I want to sleep with him." Santana defends.

"I never said you wanted to sleep with him." Brittany replies quickly. It kind of confuses Santana, because sure those weren't the blonde's exact words, but why else would she want to reiterate the face that Santana is gay. "But just this morning, you were freaking out anytime he came near you. And now you're all buddy buddy with him." Brittany explains, and Santana can see the confusion in her eyes.

She can't lie. She does understand why Brittany is confused. Their friendship is kind of an unexpected thing. And it did happen quickly. Weed just does those things to her, but she can't exactly tell Brittany about that. "He was sitting with me during practice and he wouldn't leave. He kept talking, and I don't know I just realized he's not that bad." Santana explains with a shrug. She knows that is probably going to confuse Brittany even more. But she can't tell her the truth. 'Oh he just offered me some weed so we went and smoked and now we're best friends.'

_No way_

"Santana are you trying to hide the fact that you're gay?" Brittany asks, sitting down on the coffee table across from Santana. "Because, there is nothing wrong with it, and dating Puck isn't going to make it go away." She tells Santana. Santana almost laughs, but she knows how serious Brittany is, so she decides against it. It wouldn't make anything better.

She does however roll her eyes and scoff. "No, Brittany." She says annoyed. "I'm not dating him, I'm not _pretending_ to date him." She explains. "We talked, and we have a lot in common. His family is just as crappy as mine." She says quietly, shifting in her seat. Talking about her family is a lot harder when she isn't high. "It's just nice to talk to someone who kind of understands."

Brittany's stern face softens and she lets out a small sigh. "I'm sorry." Brittany amends. She moves over onto the couch next to Santana. "I just worry about you." She admits. "I know how you freak out when Puck would be around and I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She explains. "He can be a real jerk, and I didn't want him bothering you."

Santana bites down on her lip and nods, accepting Brittany's apology. "He's not that bad. He actually seems like a pretty good guy." Santana says honestly. Brittany just scoffs in response. "He's just been through a lot. He's misunderstood." Santana explains. It sounds cliche, but it's the truth. He's just like her. He puts up walls because he's afraid of getting hurt.

"Whatever." Brittany waves it off. "So you really want to go to this party?" Brittany asks skeptically. "There will be a lot of people there, and drinking and stuff. They get out of hand sometimes."

"I want to." Santana responds simply. She looks over at Brittany and nods her head giving her a smile to prove she's serious and she really wants to go.

Brittany studies her face briefly but ends up nodding, "Okay, we'll go."

The door opens up a few seconds later and Ashley, and Susan waltz through. Santana lets out a sigh of relief knowing they hadn't been there for her and Brittany's conversation. She doesn't know how they'd react if they knew she was a lesbian. They'd probably freak out and think she's been trying to perv on Brittany or something. She's sure she wouldn't be able to live with them anymore.

"How was school girls?" Susan asks as she makes her way across the room and into the kitchen.

"Same as always," Brittany says with a shrug. Santana opts to just nod her head in agreement, rather than say anything. Honestly she does agree with Brittany. It wasn't any different today than it had been. Only difference is she became friends with Puck. Or at least maybe she did. Just because they talked for like 20 minutes doesn't necessarily even make them friends. She's not really sure what's going to happen between them. Although, she kind of hopes they can be friends. Like she told Brittany, it is nice to have someone who can semi understand her situation. She loves Brittany do death, but the blonde has no idea what it's like to live with an awful family. Her family is probably the best family in the history of families.

Susan comes back into the living room with a glass of ice tea and sits down on the arm chair next to the couch. Ashely plops down on the sofa next to Santana, causing the Latina to stiffen a bit. "Santana, how was your day?" Susan asks, directing her attention to Santana who had been silent through the whole conversation.

"It was fine." She says with a shrug of her own. As soon as she answers she moves her eyes away from Susan and over to the TV that Ashley had just turned on. "How was your day?" Santana asks Susan, glancing back over at her.

Susan looks shocked for a split second before breaking out into a big grin. Nobody ever stops to ask her how her day went. "It was really good." She says with a nod. "I cleaned up the house and then me and Ashley went out for some lunch, and shopped a little." She explains. "Thank you for asking." She says with a sincere smile.

Santana just smiles and nods her head before looking back at the TV. Brittany and Ashely just roll their eyes from both sides of the Latina. "Suck up." Ashley mutters. Santana chooses to ignore her. She wasn't trying to suck up. Susan has been amazing to her through out her entire life. She actually did genuinely care about the woman, and how her day was. Besides, Susan asked how her day was first, it's only polite to do the same.

"So Santana," Ashley starts, breaking the silence they'd all fell under. She'd put the TV on keeping up with the Kardashian's and they all just seemed to get sucked in for a few minutes. "How long were you living at the park before Britt found you?" She asks as if it were no big deal. Her eyes are still looking at the TV like she'd just asked Santana to pass the popcorn or something.

It makes Santana uncomfortable and she just chews on her bottom lip, shifting in her seat. She doesn't really know what to say. She doesn't like talking to Ashley, and she definitely doesn't like talking about her past. She doesn't know if it's more for her sake or for Brittany and Susan's. She doesn't want them to know how crappy her life had actually been.

"Why were you even living there in the first place?" Ashley asks, confused. She clearly hasn't noticed how uncomfortable she's making Santana. Or she has, and just doesn't care. The latter wouldn't surprise Santana.

"Ashley shut up." Brittany says, glaring over at her older sister.

Ashely finally pulls her eyes off the TV and looks at Brittany confused as if she has no idea why the blonde just snapped at her. "What? I'm curious." She says with a shrug. "And don't lie, I know we all are." Ashley says giving Brittany a pointed look. It's as if she's completely forgetting that Santana is right in the middle of them.

"Ashley, leave her alone or go upstairs." Susan finally says sternly.

Ashley huffs and sinks down into the sofa more, crossing her arms across her chest.

Brittany watches Santana out of the corner of her eye. She can tell the girl is extremely uncomfortable. She doesn't blame her. Ashley can be extremely rude and obnoxious sometimes. Or like _all_ the time.

Santana seems to be thinking about something or having an internal struggle about something. Her brows are furrowed and she's looking down at her lap. She's also biting down on her lip which are all signs, Brittany's learned that she is thinking hard about something.

Finally Santana stands up from the couch, and heads for the stairs without a word.

It makes Brittany mad. Not mad at Santana, but mad at Ashley for making her so uncomfortable. "Why did you have to do that?" Brittany asks, pushing her sisters shoulder.

Ashley looks at her like she's grown two heads, "What? We've taken her in and given her a roof over her head and food. We deserve some answers." She says with a huff. It just makes Brittany even more angry.

"Quit arguing." Susan says from her chair. She gives them both stern looks before continuing. "Don't pry," She says to Ashley, "We don't expect anything from her and if she wants to talk to us she can, but it isn't our business." She says firmly. She stares at Ashley a few more seconds, making sure she gets her point across.

Ashely rolls her eyes, but deflates and nods her head. Brittany does a little victory dance in her head and smiles at her mother before standing up and making her way upstairs also.

Brittany walks down the hallway to Santana's room and knocks quietly on the door. She doesn't get a response so she bites down on her lip and knocks once again. "Tana?" she asks quietly. Finally she gets a soft come in, so she carefully opens the door.

Santana is sitting on the bed, up against the headboard, her bottom half under the covers. She has ballad in her hands, picking at his fur. It makes Brittany smile, seeing her holding Ballad. She's glad Santana uses him still when she's upset. It makes her feel all warm and tingly inside, even though she hates that Santana is upset in the first place.

"You okay?" Brittany asks, hesitantly making her way over to the bed. "Ashley is an ass, don't listen to her." She says, waving her hand in the air to brush her sister off. "But you already know that." She says, and it makes Santana crack a small grin. It's barely there, but it makes Brittany smile also.

Brittany sits down on the bed, and they sit in a silence. Santana's still playing with Ballad's fur, and Brittany just watches her from the side of the bed.

"I'm sorry." Santana finally says, her eyes still looking down at the stuffed duck in her hands.

It confuses Brittany, and she furrows her brows. "For what?" She asks curiously.

Santana sighs and sort of half way shrugs her shoulders. "I know you guys all want to know why I was in the park and about my past and stuff." She explains quietly. "You guys are amazing, and I feel like I'm being ungrateful or something."

Brittany frowns and scoots closer to Santana, "Hey, you don't owe us anything." Brittany tells her honestly. Santana's still won't look up at her so Brittany ducks her head trying to find Santana's eyes. "Okay?" She asks, once she finds the brunette's eyes. Santana just nods her head in response. "We all love you and of course we want to know what happened and who hurt you so badly, but we don't expect you to tell us." Brittany explains. "We just want you to know that if you do want to tell us, we're here to listen and help you through anything you may need help with."

"Thank you," Santana says sincerely. She finally looks up at Brittany, her eyes filled with tears. She hesitates for a brief second, but pulls Brittany into a tight hug.

o0o0o

It's finally the end of the week and Santana couldn't be happier. School isn't as bad as it had been, when she first begun. People are starting to care less and less about her and how she suddenly showed up and is living with the most popular girl in school. They still stare at her sometimes and every now and then she'll hear someone talking about her, but it's not near as bad as it had been.

But still, she hates school. She loves her classes and even most of her teachers. She definitely loves learning, but she could do without the other students. She just wishes Mrs. Pierce could home school her. Home schoolers are supposedly socially awkward, but she's already socially awkward so it wouldn't change anything.

Puck has been a lot of help though. He meets her everyday after school during Brittany's practice. They go to their spot under the bleachers, smoke and just talk. Sometimes they get into deeper things and sometimes they just talk and giggle about things that don't even make sense. She's starting to feel a lot more comfortable around him. Maybe it's because he's opened himself up to her and shared a lot of things with her that she knows he hasn't ever told anyone else.

She still hasn't really opened up to him and told him things. It makes her feel bad that he spills all his secrets to her and she gives him almost nothing in return. But he doesn't seem to be bothered by it. That's why she likes him. He doesn't push her, he's just there for her with an understanding of what she's going through.

She can tell Brittany is getting a little jealous of him, but she isn't really sure why. She's told Brittany she doesn't like him like that. And even if she did, it wouldn't matter. Brittany has a boyfriend, so she can't be jealous anyway.

"Alright, you sure you want to go?" Brittany asks, pulling her from her thoughts.

She looks around her for the first time in a few minutes and realizes they've pulled up to Puck's house. The party is already in full swing. She can hear the music blasting from inside the house and can see the people dancing from the windows. The front yard is also full of people talking and drinking.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She says with a firm nod.

Brittany gives her a reassuring smile and opens her door, climbing out of the car. Santana follows suite and can't help but let her eyes linger on Brittany as she walks in front of her. It's not very often Santana gets to see Brittany dressed like this. She's either in her cheerio's uniform or in sweats and Pj's around the house. She won't lie and say she doesn't love the cheerio's uniform, but Brittany looks even hotter tonight if it's possible.

She's wearing short blue jean shorts that really shouldn't be considered shorts. They're more like jean underwear. Okay, maybe they aren't _that_ short, but they are short. And they show off her amazing long and muscular legs. She's wearing a loose fitting yellow tank top that is low enough to give Santana the perfect view of her amazing boobs, but not low enough to be trashy.

It's safe to say Brittany is extremely sexy.

It makes Santana look down at her own outfit. She's wearing shorts too, but hers aren't nearly as short as Brittany's. She doesn't remember the last time she wore shorts this short though. Normally she wears jeans or sweats. She's kind of uncomfortable wearing them, but she didn't want to stand out too much at the party. Her shirt is a V-neck but it doesn't hang too low. There is barely a view of her boobs, but it still kind of makes her uncomfortable. She doesn't like guys looking at her like a piece of meat. Maybe, she should have stuck to her jeans and T-shirt.

But then she'd really feel underdressed compared to Brittany.

"Are you coming?" Brittany asks, turning around to Santana. She catches Santana checking her out and smirks.

Santana's eyes widen, because she knows she's been caught. Her face turns a deep shade of red and she feels her heart pick up in her chest. She just hopes Brittany doesn't get mad. She's tried very hard to keep her crush for Brittany under wraps, since they live together and all. She doesn't want Brittany to feel awkward around her.

"Hurry up." Brittany says, not even commenting on the fact that Santana had just been openly ogling her. She grabs Santana's hand and drags her into the house.

o0o0o

Santana stumbles over her feet as she makes her way back into the living room. She's definitely drunk right now and she hasn't felt this good in awhile. This is what she needed. She's tired of feeling so anxious and uptight all the time. She needed a night of feeling good and not having a care in the world.

She makes her way back over to Brittany who is on the dance floor. Santana's got two drinks in her hand, one for herself and the other for Brittany. She's sloshed a little of it out on her way back over to the blonde, but managed to keep the majority in the cup. "Here Britt-Britt." Santana slurs, handing her one of the cups.

Brittany giggles and takes the cup from Santana, taking a sip of it. She pulls back quickly and grimaces. "God, what is in this?" She asks, giving Santana an awful look. It tastes like straight gasoline or something.

"I don't know." Santana says with a giggle, before downing her own cup without a problem. Brittany raises a brow at her, but smirks.

"It's a little too strong for me." Brittany tells her with a smile.

Santana just shrugs and takes the cup from her. She downs Brittany's drink also and Brittany's eyes widen. "I think you should probably slow down." Brittany suggests. She reaches out and grabs Santana's forearm as the Latina starts to sway slightly.

"I'm good." Santana responds, waving her hand in the air to brush her off.

Brittany giggles and shakes her head, but she doesn't say anything. Sure Santana is wasted, but she doesn't seem to be in any harm, and she can tell Santana is having fun. It's the happiest she's seen Santana, since she's been back in their house. It kind of makes her sad that Santana has to have this much alcohol in her to be happy though.

"Dance with me," Brittany demands, more than she asks as she pull Santana into her.

Santana nods and stumbles slightly from the force of Brittany's pulling, but the blonde catches her and holds her up. Brittany places Santana's arms on her shoulders before she wraps her own arms around Santana's waist.

She starts swaying her hips and can't help but laugh, watching Santana. The brunette's brows are furrowed and her eyes are looking down at her own body as she tries to keep the rhythm with Brittany, but she's kind of failing.

Brittany brings her hand to Santana's chin and pulls her head up. They lock eyes and Brittany smiles at her. "Keep your eyes on me." She instructs her. Santana does as she's told, but it causes her to lose her rhythm even more. "Just listen to the music, _feel_ the music. Feel me." Brittany tells her, still looking into Santana's dark eyes.

Santana looks a little scared but mostly determined. As the music continues blasting around them, Santana gets the hang of it a little more. Her hips start moving in synch with Brittany's and the blonde can feel her loosen up. She can see it in her face and the way her shoulders drop like a 50 lb weight has been lifted from her chest. They start moving easily against one another.

Brittany pulls Santana even closer to her and places a leg between Santana's and starts grinding into her. It causes Santana to stumble and mess up the rhythm, but she quickly regains it back and starts grinding back into Brittany.

"You're a good dancer." Brittany whispers into Santana's ear.

Santana can't help the blush that rises on her face, or the giggle that escapes her lips. God, she's like a middle school boy. "You are too." She tells Brittany shyly.

The song ends and Brittany pulls away from Santana slightly to look at her. She smiles widely when she sees Santana smiling at her with a blush still on her face.

"I'm going to get another drink." Santana says, puling away from Brittany completely. It makes the blonde pout. "I'll be right back. Do you want anything?" She asks, leaning in closer to Brittany's ear as another song picks up.

Brittany just shakes her head, and Santana nods, before walking away from her. She makes her way back over to the kitchen where all the alcohol is set up and pours herself another drink. Again, she's not really sure what's going in it, but she doesn't really care. She just knows she wants something strong. She doesn't care how it tastes. She doesn't drink for the taste.

She pours her drink and then makes her way back into the living room. She squeezes through the sea of people back to the spot her and Brittany had just been. But she frowns when she sees Brittany on Artie's lap. He's turning his chair in different directions and she's waving her arms around, laughing and smiling.

A pathetic pout forms on Santana's lips and she feels tears stinging her eyes. She can't see herself, but honestly she feels like she probably looks like a kicked puppy. She walks over to one of the couches but there is a couple making out on it. She turns in the other direction and finds the staircase. She plops down on the bottom step and sets her drink down next to her.

Her eyes move back over to Brittany and Artie. They're still doing the same thing they'd been doing and Santana can't help but think they look dumb. Well, not Brittany, she could never look dumb, but _he_ does. Spinning his chair around like he's cool or something. That's not dancing. What _her_ and Brittany were doing was dancing. He sucks at dancing. Okay, so that's probably not fair, but she doesn't care. He sucks.

She lets out a shaky sigh and buries her head in her arms, resting on her knee's. Tears fall from her eyes and her body starts shaking with sobs. She probably looks so stupid right now. Crying in the middle of a party. She's positive there are probably a lot of eyes on her, and people laughing at her. But she doesn't care right now.

"Santana?" She hears someone voice say. She looks up and sees Rachel standing in front of her, looking at her in concern.

Santana just sniffles and stares at her.

"What's wrong?" She asks, sitting down on the stairs next to Santana.

Santana shakes her head, "Nothing." She mumbles pathetically before burying her face back in her arms.

Rachel looks worried for the girl, but she doesn't really know what to do. They haven't really talked more than a couple of times, and she doesn't think that's enough for Santana to consider her a friend. So she doesn't really know how to comfort her. She wants to hug her or something, but she doesn't want to freak the girl out.

"What's going on?" Another voice joins in. It's Puck. He looks down at Santana who is still shaking with sobs, and his brows furrow. "What'd you do Berry?" He asks, glaring at her.

Rachel's eyes widen and she looks offended. "I didn't do anything. I found her like this and I was trying to help." She defends.

"I'll take it from here." Puck tells her, nodding his head back, motioning for her to get up.

Rachel eyes him skeptically before scoffing. "I'm not going to let you take advantage of the poor girl Noah." Rachel scolds him. She puts her hand on Santana's back and it makes Santana stiffen and snap her head up.

She looks over at Rachel who pulls her hand back like it's been burned. She doesn't say anything though, she looks over and for the first time notices Puck's presence. "Puck," She says brokenly. He kneels down in front of her and Santana launches herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Rachel looks confused, but instead of asking, she just gets up and walks away, leaving Puck to handle it. Obviously for some reason, Santana wanted Puck there and not her.

"What happened?" Puck asks, wrapping his arms around Santana's waist. He maneuvers himself so that he's sitting next to her on the stairs. Her arms are still wrapped around his neck and her face is buried in his shoulder, soaking his shirt with her tears.

Santana gasps for air, not getting enough from all of her crying. She starts to say something but it's mumbled and Puck can't really understand it. "She hurt my feelings Puck," Santana cries pathetically into his shoulder.

Puck wants to laugh, because she sounds like a 5 year old, but for some reason, he can bring himself to do it. Instead he holds her tighter and wants to go kill whoever she's talking about. "Who did?" He asks kindly, running his fingers through her hair.

Santana just continues to sob into his shoulder, "Brittany." She chokes out. "She-She's dancing with Artie, and not me!" She whines, gripping his t-shirt in her hand. "He's mean and stupid and-and stupid." She says pathetically.

Now Puck actually has to hold in a chuckle. He's a badass and all, but this is just too adorable, yet sad at the same time. "He is stupid," Puck agrees. "It's okay," He soothes her, rubbing her back with one hand and stroking her hair with the other. Puck's never really been a fan of Artie. At first he didn't like him because, well he's a nerd, but after being in Glee with him, he's learned he's kind of a douche. And that's coming from the king of douches.

"I'm so sorry." Santana cries after a minute.

"For what?" Puck asks quietly. "You don't have to be sorry for being upset." He tells her honestly.

She just shakes her head though. "No." She says simply and it confuses him. "You're totally awesome and I don't like you! I'm so sorry!" She says, and it makes her cry even more.

Puck chuckles slightly and shakes his head, "It's fine Santana." he tells her. "I'm cool just being your bro." He tells her with a grin, even though she can't see it.

"What happened?" Brittany's voice, rings out. She sounds panicked, and before Santana can even look up, she feels herself being pulled gently away from Puck's shoulder. Brittany's hands are on her face, making her look up at the blonde. "Tana what's wrong?" She asks, her eyes swimming with concern.

"Brittany," Santana whimpers. She pulls Brittany into a hug and it causes the blonde to just about fall on top of her.

Puck laughs and scoots over giving Brittany room to squeeze in between them. She puts her arm around Santana's shoulder and Santana snuggles into her. Brittany looks over at Puck helplessly. Obviously she's not getting any answers out of Santana.

"She's just really drunk." Puck tells her. But Brittany's concerns don't fade away. Last time she'd seen Santana she'd been completely happy and giggly and now she's a sobbing mess. Although her crying had subsided since Brittany got there. "I think she's an emotional drunk." He says with a shrug. "Really, nothing happened. She was sobbing and told me she's sorry she doesn't like me." He says with a small laugh. He wasn't dumb enough to actually tell Brittany what she'd really been crying about.

Brittany looks a little relieved at the news and turns her attention back down to Santana. "You ready to go?" She asks quietly.

Santana nods her head and a yawn escapes her lips. "I'm sleepy." Santana informs her in the cutest voice Brittany thinks she's ever heard.

"Okay, we can go home and go to sleep." Brittany tells her with a nod. She stands up and reaches her arms out for Santana to help her stand up also.

"And cuddle?" Santana asks with a pout. She grabs Brittany's arms lazily and stands up, not really helping Brittany out. Brittany had to basically pull Santana up completely on her own.

But she can't help but grin. "And cuddle," She confirms, wrapping an arm around Santana's shoulder. "Bye Puck, thanks." Brittany says a little awkwardly. She's not used to this side of Puck and she's definitely not used to being nice to him. Not that she's ever mean to anyone, she just usually avoids him.

"No problem," He says, standing up. "Text me and let me know you got home okay?" He asks, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "I'll check on her tomorrow."

Brittany just nods her head, to both statements. She's still a little caught off guard by this side of him, so she doesn't really know what to say. She just gives him a small smile and guides Santana out the door.

o0o0o

Brittany gets Santana into her Pj's and lying down in Emily's bed. It had definitely been a great stubble, because Santana was just lying around like a rag doll, not helping her at all. But she'd eventually succeeded.

She pulls the covers up to Santana's chest and starts to stand back up, but Santana grabs her arm and pulls her on top of her. Brittany giggles and tries rolling off of her, but Santana holds her tighter.

The brunette buries her face in Brittany's neck and sighs contently. "You smell good," Santana murmurs and it makes Brittany chuckle.

"I smell like sweat, weed, and cigarette smoke." Brittany responds. Sure she hadn't done any of those things, except sweat of course. But the whole house smelt like it so she knows she has to smell like it too. "I need a shower." She tells Santana, once again trying to pull away from Santana's vice grip.

Santana whines and pulls Brittany into her even more. "No. Stay." She pouts.

Brittany sighs, but smiles. "Okay, I'll stay." She tells her, giving her a firm nod. "But can I at least get under the covers with you?" Brittany asks with a laugh.

Santana lets out a dramatic sigh, but lets go of Brittany. The blonde grins and climbs under the covers next to Santana. She throws her shirt and her shorts off, knowing she won't be able to go in her room and change. This is the most Santana will probably allow her to do. But she's okay with that.

She lies down on her back and not even a second later, Santana's body is curled into her side, her face buried back in her neck. Brittany smile and wraps her arms securely around Santana.

o0o0o

Santana wakes up the next morning with a killer hangover. She hasn't even opened her eyes yet, but her head is already pounding. She doesn't even want to open her eyes because she knows it'll just make it worse. That's what she gets for getting completely wasted and not drinking any water or eating. She asked for it.

She lets out a heavy sigh and feels the familiar weight of Brittany next to her. She smiles and snuggles even deeper into the blonde. It takes her a second but she realizes she feels Brittany's warm skin _everywhere_. Not clothes, but _skin_.

Her eyes snap open and she sees Brittany lying next to her in just her bra. Her eyes widen and she carefully picks the covers up, seeing that Brittany is also clad in just her ducky underwear. She can't help but take a brief moment to swoon over the ducky underwear. They're just so cute and so Brittany.

But the moment fades and her heart picks up and she pulls the covers back over them. She quickly checks herself and is confused when she finds herself completely clothed. Okay so maybe they didn't do anything, but why is Brittany almost naked? Oh god, did she like try and molest Brittany while she was drunk?

She feels Brittany stir underneath her and she panics briefly and debates on whether or not she should act like she's asleep. But that never works. And it's too late anyway, because before she can make her mind up she finds herself staring into ocean blue eyes. "Hi." Santana squeaks out.

Brittany smiles back, "Hey," She says, her voice thick with sleep. "How are you feeling?"

Santana frowns, remembering her killer hangover. "Awful." She decides to summarize. She could take the time to tell her about her pounding head, her dizziness _and_ her nausea but she decides to keep it short.

Brittany pouts and scoots closer to Santana. "I'll get you some medicine." She tells her quietly. She caress's Santana's forehead with her thumb for a second, before slowly climbing out of bed and walking out the door.

Okay, well she doesn't seem mad. Maybe nothing did happen. There is probably a very logical reason as to why Brittany is in her bed half naked. It'd be a lot more help if Santana could remember a thing from last night. She remembers a few things, but for the most part it's all a blur. She just hopes she didn't do anything stupid.

A few minutes later Brittany returns with a T-shirt and shorts on. She also has a glass of water and a handful of pills. "Here," She says offering a couple pills out to Santana.

Santana takes the pills and the water gratefully and swallows them. "Thanks," She says after taking a long sip of water. That probably wasn't the best idea, because now she's even more nauseous. "Ugh," She groans, lying back down and closing her eyes. Bad idea number two Lopez.

"You alright?" Brittany asks, concerned.

Santana groans once again and puts her arm over her face, "I feel sick." She says helplessly.

Brittany's eyes widen and she jumps off the bed, "Come on," She says, grabbing Santana'a hand, "Let's get you to the bathroom."

That's probably the best idea Santana's heard all morning. She quickly gets up, which is also a bad idea, and races into the bathroom. She barely even makes it to the toilet before she's throwing up anything that she had left in her stomach, which wasn't a lot. she's pretty much just dry heaving which is even worse.

Brittany's hand is on her back rubbing circles and the other hand is holding her hair back. Santana briefly considers being embarrassed but she feels to shitty to even care right now. And Brittany doesn't seem to be phased at all. She's cooing soothing words into Santana's ear, and holding her through it.

Once she finishes she pulls back and sits against the wall, letting her head fall back as a miserable groan escapes her lips. Brittany wipes her mouth with a wet rag and hands her a dixie cup with water. "Thanks," Santana says, rinsing her mouth out with the water.

Brittany sits down next to her and places her arm around Santana's shoulders. As soon as Santana is done with the water she settles against Brittany with a sigh. "You good?" Brittany asks.

Santana nods her head, "I think so." She sigh, lying her head on Brittany's shoulder. She makes no attempt to move. She's not feeling sick right now, but she's exhausted and just wants to sit here with Brittany for a minute.

Brittany doesn't seem to mind, because she just wraps her other arm around Santana and rests her head on top of Santana's as they fall into a comfortable silence.

"Why were you half naked this morning." Santana asks after a minute.

It makes Brittany laugh and she shakes her head. Santana had sounded so afraid of the answer, it was hilarious to her. Okay so she feels bad laughing as hard as she is, and she knows she shouldn't be laughing like this, because it was a serious question from Santana. She obviously doesn't remember what happened last night and is worried about she did something.

Brittany calms her laughter and inhales deeply, giving Santana a reassuring squeeze. "I put you in bed last night and you wanted to cuddle. You wouldn't let me shower or go to my room or anything so I just pulled my clothes off and got in bed with you." She explains, grinning widely. Santana had been kind of adorable last night.

Santana groans and buries her face in Brittany's shoulder, clearly embarrassed by the way she'd acted. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I didn't mind." Brittany tells her honestly. And Santana can actually tell she means it. That makes her feel better. It also makes her feel better that she didn't like try and molest Brittany or something.

**A/N:** Let me know what you guys think! (: Reviews are love. And my inspiration! God knows, I need some right now! (:


	10. Chapter 10

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks for all the love! I think you guys gave me some inspiration back! (:

There is a knock on the door later that afternoon. Santana doesn't move from her cocoon of covers. She knows Susan will get it, because Ashley sure as hell won't and Brittany isn't home right now.

She feels a little better than she had early this morning. There is still a lingering since of nausea, but not to the point where she feels she's going to actually be sick. Her headache is gone and now she's really just tired. Although she's been lying in bed trying to sleep all day long, it hasn't happened for her. She just keeps tossing and turning. Her mind can't seem to get off Brittany and her stupid boyfriend.

She remembers dancing with Brittany last night. She still doesn't remember the night crystal clear, but there are bits and pieces that she can recall. But being in Brittany's arms and being that close to her was the best feeling in the world. She does remember that. Sure she's that close to Brittany all the time. They cuddle, which she isn't even sure when it started and when she became comfortable with that. It's just kind of a reflex for them now. Brittany climbs into Santana's bed at night without a word and they cuddle.

But regardless of her growing more and more comfortable with it, she's still not completely relaxed with Brittany. She wants to be and she knows she's safe with her, but there is still that lingering anxiety that is constantly following her around no matter how much she wants it to disappear. But when she had that bit of alcohol in her, she completely just let go and actually let herself completely feel without worry. It was amazing, and she wants to be able to feel that without drugs or alcohol. Hopefully it'll happen soon. But she doesn't know how to make it happen.

"Santana!" Susan's voice rings throughout the house.

Santana sits up and rubs her eyes, looking around the room confused. She walks out of her bedroom and to the stairs where she sees Ashley coming up. "Super hot guy at the door for you." She says nudging her shoulder and giving her a wink.

Santana's brows furrow but she continues down the stairs where she sees Susan standing by the front door. The woman turns around and smiles widely at her. "You have a friend here to see you." She says, and her voice sounds almost just like Ashley's. It's that knowing tone, but like they're trying to be sneaky or something. Too bad they have _no _idea.

Susan walks back into the living room and Santana walks to the door where she sees Puck standing on the porch with his hands shoved in his pockets. "Hey." He greets with a smile when he sees her.

"Hey," Santana returns. "What are you doing here?" She asks confused. She walks out onto the porch with him and shuts the door behind her. She knows Susan and Ashley would probably be hiding somewhere nearby to listen if she were to stay inside. Ashley at least, she's not sure if Susan would. But it wouldn't shock her.

"I wanted to check on you." Puck tells her with a shrug. "I text you, but you never text me back and so I text Brittany, but she said she wasn't here." He explains to her.

Santana rolls her eyes and scuffs at the wooden porch beneath her. But she's not rolling her eyes at Puck. "Yeah, apparently she left last night without telling Artie and he got mad. So now she's on a date with him to make it up to him." Santana replies trying to keep the jealousy out of her voice. She knows it's impossible, but hey she can try. He's probably clueless that she likes Brittany anyway.

"Yeah, she said she was with him," He says with a nod. "I thought you may want some company." He adds with an unsure shrug. He would definitely consider Santana his friend, probably even his best friend. They haven't known each other long, but she gets him and he feels comfortable with her. She's never judged him on his past or anything he's done.

He isn't sure if she feels the same way, or if she considers him a friend, but he hopes so. He also isn't sure how she feels about hanging out. It'll be the first time they've hung out outside of school and he doesn't know if she wants that.

"I thought we could smoke or I could get some beer or something." He says, pulling a bag out of his pocket. He waves it at her as proof that he has it on him and gives her a mischievous grin.

Santana's eyes widen and she jumps over to him, putting his hand down. "Someone could see you!" She hisses, glaring at him. "Put that shit away. If Susan sees that, she'll kick me out for sure." She tells him, shaking her head. She can't believe he'd actually pull that out right here on the front porch of the Pierce's house when her mother and sister are home.

Idiot.

"So you in or not?" He asks, stuffing the bag back into his pocket. "We can go somewhere else." He assures her.

Santana contemplates her options for a few seconds, trying not to be effected by his puppy dog eyes. And honestly they weren't effecting her, they were just kind of annoying her. The only reason she even wants to go with him is because some weed sounds pretty damn good right now. And she won't lie, she may actually like hanging out with him. He doesn't pity her like everyone else does. He knows she's had a rough life and so has he. He knows what it's like and he knows she doesn't want to be pitied. He gets her. "Yeah, I'm in." She finally says with a sigh. It makes him break out into a grin. "Let me tell them I'm leaving." She says before walking back in the house.

o0o0o

Puck parks his old truck and looks over at Santana with a grin. "Alright, this place is totally cool." He says nodding out the window. Santana looks around and her eyes widen when she realizes they're at the park she'd been living at before Brittany found her, and the same one her parents had abandoned her at. "That old jungle gym in that back corner there." He says pointing to the back right side of the park. "It's the one that was here when we were kids. They built this new big one over there and no kids even go to the old one anymore." He tells her as he grabs a lighter from his console.

Santana is frozen in her seat her eyes set on the old playground. She doesn't want to get out. She can't go over there.

"Let's go Lopez." Puck says, climbing out of the truck. He looks at her through the window, waiting on her to get out. But she doesn't. "What's up?" He asks, opening the door back up to look at her. He doesn't miss the distress in her eyes, but it kind of confuses him.

"I don't want to do it here." She says quietly. Her gaze finally moves away from the old jungle gym and lands on her lap where she is wringing her sweaty hands together.

Puck's brows furrow and he glances over at the playground. "I know it's old and a little rusty, but it's completely safe." He assures her. "I come out here all the time when my parents are home. Which isn't that often, but I have been here a few times. It's totally safe, and I swear nobody will see us." He says, trying to talk her into getting out of his truck.

Santana doesn't say anything and she doesn't look at him. She doesn't really know what to say. She knows she has to say something, because she probably looks stupid right now. She sure feels stupid anyway. "You're right, nobody ever goes over there." She says, nodding her head. It just confuses him even further. "I was living there when Britt found me." She admits quietly.

Puck's eyes widen and he just kind of stares at her speechless for a second. But thankfully he snaps back into reality and climbs in the truck. "We'll go somewhere else." He assures her, nodding his head. He doesn't say anything else. He just puts his truck in reverse and drives away.

Santana is thankful that he doesn't say anything. She knows anyone else would ask her about it or even apologize like it's their fault or something. But Puck isn't like that, and that's what she needs. This is why she likes being around him. That and his seemingly endless stash of weed. He doesn't even make her pay for it.

They drive in silence, but it's not an awkward one. He turns his radio on and they listen to some old rock music. Santana doesn't really know a lot of the songs, but she kind of likes it. And she likes watching Puck sing, it's hilarious. He has a great voice, which she already knew from sitting in Glee practice. But what's funny is his facial expressions, hand motions and head bangs. She's pretty sure he's over exaggerating it to make her laugh, but she can't be sure. Either way, she appreciates it.

After a few minutes he pulls onto a dirt road into some woods. It freaks Santana out a little bit, but she knows he won't hurt her. At least she's pretty sure.

She bites down on her lip and looks out the window watching the trees pass them by. Once they get pretty deep into the woods there is a very small clearing and he parks his truck. He turns in his seat slightly and gives Santana that crooked grin of his. "This alright?" He asks, already pulling the bag of weed out.

Santana just nods, still biting down on her lip. Being out here in the middle of the woods with him is kind of freaking her out a bit. But like she said, she's pretty positive she can trust him. He doesn't seem harmful so far. "Hurry up." She says, motioning towards the joint he's rolling.

Puck just smirks and finishes it up before handing it to her. "Go ahead." He says giving her a nod.

She takes it gratefully and puts it between her lips. He brings up the lighter and lights it for her and she takes her first drag of it. She almost moans at the feeling as she exhales. She's only had one drag and she is already feeling more at ease. Granted it was a pretty long drag.

"Did you have a good time at the party last night?" Puck asks, taking the joint from her after she'd hit it one more time.

Santana nods and lets out a small giggle. "I think so," She admits. "I don't remember all of it." She adds. Normally that'd embarrass her a little, but right now it just seems funny. "But hey that's got to mean it was a good time right?" She asks with a smirk. She leans forward and pulls the joint out of his mouth, and brings it up to her own lips.

He frowns. "I think I should just roll my own." He says, trying to keep a straight face. But he ends up laughing anyway. "You got pretty fucked up last night." He says causing him to laugh even more.

Santana lets out a giggle, but then frowns slightly. "I didn't do anything too stupid did I?" She asks, unsure. The parts of that night she remembers, everything seemed to be fine. She can't remember fucking anything up or embarrassing herself. And Brittany hadn't said anything or acted any different towards her, so she's pretty sure she didn't do anything. But she of course needs to be sure.

"You got a little weepy towards the end of the night, but it was kind of cute." He says with a shrug. It makes Santana's face scrunch up. She doesn't like being called cute. She's not cute, she's a badass. "You were crying and apologized for not being into me like that." He tells her with a chuckle.

Santana feels her face turn a light shade of pink and she takes another long drag. "I'm sorry for making a fool out of myself." She says, laughing awkwardly, trying to brush it off. She's glad she didn't do anything awful, but she knows how she can get when she's drunk and it's pretty embarrassing. Sometimes she cries over the smallest and stupidest things.

"No worries, like I said it was cute." He assures her. "And besides, now I know why you weren't all upon this." He says doing the best body roll he can sitting in his truck. Santana just looks at him confused. "I mean, I kind of thought so because I mean come on, what girl wouldn't be interested in me?" He asks with a cocky smirk. It just further confuses Santana, and she furrows her brows, trying to follow his train of thought. "Then it hit me, she must be into chicks." He says slapping the console in the middle of them with a wide grin like he just solved the worlds hardest puzzle.

Santana's eyes widen and she can feel her blood turn cold. "What the hell makes you think that?" She spits out, scowling at him.

"You like Brittany." He says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. He clearly missed her anger, and didn't know that he wasn't supposed to figure that out.

"Did I tell you that?" Santana asks. She's trying to sound harsh, but she's pretty sure she just sounds like a scared little girl. Because that is basically what she is right now. Her fears about being in the woods are increasing and even the weed isn't making her feel relaxed right now. She just feels confused and lightheaded and she can feel her heart pounding in her chest.

Puck's brows furrow when he notices her panic, "No but-

"Okay so don't assume shit." Santana snaps, effectively cutting him off before he could say anything else. "I'm not a lesbian!" She adds just to be sure her message is clear. She throws the rest of the joint out the window and turns in her seat to face the front. "Take me back to Brittany's." She tells him, folding her arms tightly across her chest.

"Santana-

"I just want to go home." She cuts him off. This time her voice isn't as snappy or as harsh as she'd like it to be. It's soft and cracked a little bit because of the tears she's trying to hold in. "Just take me back." She says once again, inhaling deeply, trying to calm herself.

o0o0o

After slamming Puck's truck door closed. Santana quickly makes her way inside without even a quick bye to Puck. She doesn't even look back as she rushes into the house. She could hear him from behind her trying to get her to stop, but she'd ignored him and just about shut the door in his face.

She makes her way up the stairs and checks in Brittany's room but doesn't see the blonde anywhere. She tries to remember if her car was in the driveway, but she can't remember. She goes back downstairs and wipes at her cheeks, making sure to erase any traces that she'd been crying. She finds Susan in the kitchen washing some dishes.

"Is Brittany still out?" Santana asks, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. She sniffles a little but tries covering it up by a cough. Damn, she shouldn't have come down here.

Susan turns around with a smile, but it soon turns into a frown when she sees the look on Santana's face. "Yeah, she's still with Artie." Susan confirms with a nod. She dries her hands off with a towel and makes her way over to the Latina. "You alright?" She asks carefully.

Santana nods, but has to sniffle again and breath out of her mouth which totally gives her away. "I'm just going to go upstairs." Santana announces turning on her heels. She wants to get away from here as quickly as possible. The last thing she needs is Susan questioning her.

"Honey, could you sit for a minute?" Susan asks, halting Santana mid step.

Santana groans inwardly, but turns around and does as she is told. She pulls out a chair and sits across from Susan. "What do you need to talk about?" Santana asks curiously and a little fearfully. She's been lucky so far with the lack of prying from Susan. She should have known it'd end at some point.

"I've been doing some thinking. Me _and_ Brian." Susan starts, and it doesn't make the nervousness Santana's feeling go away. It actually only ignites it. "We think it would be good for you to go talk to a therapist." She suggests hesitantly. She knows it's probably not going to go over well with Santana. She's been trying to think of different ways to approach Santana about it. But she'd figured out there isn't a good approach and there wont be a good time. She just has to do it.

Santana's eyes widen and she opens her mouth a few times only to close it back. This is the last thing she'd expected to come out of Susan's mouth and she's a little caught off guard. "Why?" She finally asks quietly.

Susan sighs, because she can see how upset Santana is already over her suggestion. "We just think it will help you." She explains, "You've obviously been through a lot, and you're bottling everything up." She says and Santana just bites her lip. "You need to talk to someone, and if you aren't going to talk to one of us then we thought maybe you'd talk to a professional."

Santana just blinks in response still trying to process the request. "I-I don't…" She starts, but stops. She has no idea what to say right now. Of course she doesn't want to go to a professional. She doesn't want to talk to anyone. Nobody she be burdened by something like that. Why would telling someone about what happened make her feel better anyway. It's not like just because she talks about it it'll make it to where none of it happened. That's just stupid. "I can't." She finally says, shaking her head furiously. She feels the tears stinging her eyes, but honestly she's not even sure they ever disappeared.

"Santana you can't live like this." Susan says with a sigh. "You're always so on edge and so anxious. And I hear you crying at night." She admits. It makes Santana's body go rigid. Sometimes at night she'd escape Brittany's embrace and go into the bathroom. But she'd always been so sure to make sure nobody was up. "You deserve to be happy. I just want you to be happy." Susan says, reaching out grabbing Santana's hand on the table.

Santana looks down at their hands and swallows hard. "I don't want to go to a therapist." She says desperately. Her eyes move up to Susan's blue ones, and she looks at her pleadingly.

"How about you just think about it." Susan says hopefully. "Don't make a decision right now." She pats the top of Santana's hand and just as she's about to say something else, the front door opens.

Santana jumps up from her seat and just about runs into the living room. She sees Brittany closing the front door and the blonde smiles at her. "Hey Tana," She greets right before Santana just about tackles her. She looks startled, but hugs Santana close to her with a chuckle. It taker her a few seconds to realize the Latina is crying and her smile fades fast. "What's the matter?" She asks worriedly.

Santana doesn't respond she just lets out a sob and holds Brittany even tighter. "Today sucks," Santana whines pathetically. "I missed you,"

Brittany has to hold in a giggle at how cute Santana sounds. She knows she shouldn't be laughing but the girl is adorable. "Lets go upstairs." Brittany instructs. She pulls away from Santana just enough so that they can make it upstairs and into her room. "What happened?" Brittany asks, sitting Santana down on her bed.

Santana pouts and crosses her arms over her chest, holding herself. "He knows," Santana cries. It just confuses Brittany.

"Who knows what sweetie?" She asks, sitting down next to Santana. She wraps an arm around the girl, and rubs her shoulder lovingly.

Santana inhales a shaky breath. "Puck. He knows I'm gay." Santana tells her as another sob tumbles out of her mouth. She buries her face in Brittany's shoulder and fists the blonde's shirt in her hand, clothing her even closer.

Brittany almost wants to laugh, but she holds it back. "Tana, he doesn't care." She tells her honestly. She knows Santana is upset, but she thinks it's silly for her to be so upset over something like this. So she's gay, nobody cares, and that's what she keeps telling her over and over. "Why are you so afraid of people knowing?" She asks curiously.

"Because…" Santana says, but stops as if the answer is obvious and Brittany should just know. But she doesn't. "Because it's…it's wrong. It's bad." Santana sobs, burying her head even deeper into Brittany's neck.

Brittany just about jerks back, but she stops herself not wanting to startle the girl. "What are you talking about?" She asks, completely taken aback. "It's not wrong, Santana. It's who you are." She assures her. Her arm tightens around Santana protectively. "Did someone tell you that?" Brittany asks quietly.

Santana stiffens in her arms, and it answers Brittany's question. "My foster brother." Santana finally answers. Her voice is quiet and so raspy, Brittany had barely even heard her.

"He was the other person you told." Brittany states more than asks. When Santana came out to her, she told her she was the second person she's ever told. "What happened?" Brittany asks. She brings her other hand up to run her fingers through Santana's hair and pulls her even closer to her. She knows whatever he said to her was obviously bad. "Please talk to me," she breaths out.

After a minute Santana pulls away from Brittany. Not completely, but enough to be able to look at her. She's still got her shirt twisted in her fist, holding on to her for dear life. "He…he was my best friend." She says, through a sob. She takes a moment to compose herself before continuing. "We stuck together and took care of each other since our foster parents didn't give a shit about us." She explains.

_14 year old Santana walks into her foster brother, Josh's room. He's only a couple years older than her and he's been with this family for a few years longer than her. When she came to live with them, he was the first to tell her how awful they actually are. She'd been afraid to say the least, but she couldn't imagine them being any worse than the family she'd just came from. And really they weren't. They weren't very attentive, but she'd much prefer that to what her adoptive parents did._

_He's sitting on his floor in front of the TV playing a video game. Santana walks in front of the TV, getting a few protests and slaps to her legs. It just makes her giggle and she plops down next to him. _

_"You suck at this game." She finally says, after watching him for a few minutes. _

_As if on cue he dies, right after her words. He groans loudly and throws the controller on the ground, before turning to Santana who is giggling at him. "It's not funny." He says, still angry. But she keeps laughing, no matter how hard she tries to stop. "You think it's funny." He states. His angry face has morphed and he's now smiling looking at her with a mischievous grin. "Tell me if you think this is funny," He says before pouncing on her. _

_He straddles her waist and and starts tickling her, making her squirm and laugh loudly. "Get off of me!" She screams through a fit of giggles. She brings her hands up and starts punching him the best she can as she's trying to shield herself and squirm away at the same time. _

_Finally after a few minutes, he relents and crawls off of her. She's crying, she'd been laughing so hard and she sits up huffing for air. She reaches over and punches him in the gut. "Asshole." She scowls, but can't help but smile. _

_"Hey, language, little girl." He chastises, pointing a finger in her face. He always likes to point out the fact that he is almost 3 years older than her. And the fact that she's so small. _

_Santana scowls and punches him again. "I'm not little." She pouts, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "I'm going to get bigger than you one day and kick your ass." She tells him and it just makes him laugh loudly. They both know she won't ever probably be big. Especially bigger than him. He's not huge, but he works out and definitely has an athletic build. He's also pretty tall for his age._

_"So why did you come mess up my game and cause me to die?" He asks, moving up to his bed. He pats the spot next to her and she climbs up on it next to him. _

_"I kind of wanted to talk to you about something." She says, suddenly turning nervous. "I…I"m confused and I just need someone to talk to." She says, wringing her hands together in her lap. _

_Josh nods, "Is this boy problems? It's not boy problems is it?" He asks with a grimace. _

_Santana laughs nervously and shakes her head. "Not exactly…" She says vaguely. She bites down on her bottom lip and furrows her brows together. She's not exactly sure how to talk to him about this. _

_"Santana, what is it!" He asks with a chuckle. He shoves her a little, trying to get her to spit it out. _

_"Well, there is this girl at school. She's in a couple of my classes…" Santana starts, but pauses. He just gives her a look that tells her to keep going. "I…I don't know what it is but like when I'm around her, I…" She says, and stops once again. Josh looks a little frustrated but mainly he just looks confused, like he has no idea where she is going with this. "I think I like her Josh," She finally admits. "Like, _like_ her like her." _

_Josh's brows furrow and he looks down at the bed, trying to gather his thoughts. "You're crazy." He finally says, giving her a confused chuckle. "Santana, you aren't gay." He tells her, looking at her like she's crazy. "She's what like your first friend?" He asks, "Like you said, you're just confused. It's the first time you've had a real friend and your confusing those feelings." He explains to her. _

_"She's not my first friend." Santana replies. _

_Josh just rolls his eyes. "Right." She's told him about Brittany. It's basically all she ever talks about. But she hadn't mentioned to him that she was her girlfriend. Even she just thought it was a cute thing that kids did and she felt dumb telling him that she was dating a girl she hasn't seen since she was 11. "Either way, you are just confused." He assures her, getting back on topic. "I know you Santana," He tells her, scooting closer to her. "You aren't gay." _

_Santana studies his face for a few seconds, not really sure what to say. He seems so sure that she's not, but how could he know that. Sure they're extremely close, but she doesn't even know. How could he? He doesn't know what she feels. "But-_

_"Santana stop!" Josh shouts suddenly. He jumps up from the bed, and it startles Santana. "You aren't a damn lesbian!" He shouts at her. "It's disgusting and wrong! And not you!" He spits out. "So just drop it." He says firmly. _

_Santana has tears in her eyes, but she just nods her head. He's never yelled at her before. He's never even really been angry at her. If he gets mad he's usually over it in a bout 5 seconds flat. He's kind of scary when he's mad. _

"Honey, he's ignorant and narrow minded. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it." Brittany assures her. She has tears in her own eyes now, but she's trying to hide if from Santana. She pulls the brunette into her chest and rests her head on top of Santana's.

Santana chokes out another sob. "He…he liked me." She admits. "Like, he liked me liked me. She explains. "I had no idea." She whispers, shaking her head.

Brittany runs her fingers through Santana's hair gently, trying to calm Santana down. "It's okay honey." She soothes her.

"No it's not." Santana cries even harder. "He was so angry." she mumbles. "I told him a few months later that I really think I am, and I know he thinks it's bad, but…" She says, but she has to stop and take in a deep breath as a lump forms in her throat. "I just wanted him to accept me. He was my best friend…" She cries.

Tears are running down Brittany's cheeks and she holds Santana even closer to her. "What did he say? Did he hurt you?" She asks worriedly. She's trying not to get too worked up by this, but just the thought of someone hurting Santana makes her furious. She has no idea who he is or where he lives, but if she finds out he did hurt her, she'll find him.

Santana doesn't say anything, she just buries her face even deeper into Brittany's neck and practically crawls into her lap. The action in itself pretty much answers Brittany's question. She has to close her eyes and breathe in deeply to control herself.

"You're mom wants me to go to therapy." Santana sniffles after a few minutes, changing the subject. "I don't want to go." She adds, her voice cracking. "Don't make me go." She pleads, as if Brittany has a final say in it.

Brittany places a kiss to the top of Santana's head, "I'll do what I can." She promises her. Truth is, Brittany doesn't think it's that bad of an idea.

Santana pulls back a couple seconds later, and wipes her eyes. "I'm sorry," She says giving an awkward chuckle. "I'm a mess." She says as she continues wiping her face. Brittany just smiles softly at her and helps her wipe the tears away. "How was your date with Artie?" Santana asks, biting down on her lip. She doesn't know why she does this to herself. She hates hearing about him, but for some reason she is always compelled to ask about him. Maybe she loves torturing herself.

Brittany frowns slightly and just grunts waving her hand in the air, to brush the subject off. She obviously doesn't want to talk about it. That gives Santana a little bit of hope, because obviously something is wrong. Although, they fight all the time and they've yet to break up.

"Tell me what happened." Santana says, turning in the blonde's arms so she could see her better. "It'll make me feel better." She adds, batting her lashes. She knows it's a low blow, but hey.

Brittany smiles and shakes her head. "It's really nothing," She sighs. "We fight all the time. But it's never huge. Just petty annoying arguments." She explains with a shrug.

Santana nods her head letting Brittany know she understands. But she still wants to know what happened. She also wants to know why they're even together. Brittany is right. They fight constantly. Why she want to be with someone who she fights with all the time. She deserves better than that. "Why are you still with him?" Santana asks timidly. She doesn't want Brittany to blow up at her again, like she had when she told her she didn't like Artie. But she really is curious.

Brittany just shrugs her shoulders, "He's not like the other boys. He likes me for me and doesn't just want sex like the rest of them." She explains.

The thought of Brittany and Artie having sex makes Santana want to puke. She cringes and tries to shake the images out of her mind. "Other than that, does he treat you right?" She asks in a gentle tone. She's still treading lightly, not wanting to get Brittany worked up again. But Brittany frowns and it scares her a little bit. "I'm not trying to make you angry. Like you said, I don't know him and I don't know about you guys' relationship, but I'm trying to learn." She explains, hoping Brittany won't be upset with her.

Brittany shakes her head and gives Santana a small smile. "I know you're not trying to upset me." she assures her. "You're _not_ upsetting me." She adds quickly. "He's just really frustrating sometimes. I mean I like him, and he doesn't treat me awful, but he _could_ treat me better." She explains. "He's a little controlling, and extremely jealous."

Santana licks her lips and nods. "He doesn't like me living here." She states, more than asks. She's pretty sure she's the cause of their arguments lately.

"Don't worry about him." Brittany assures her. "He doesn't even know you. He has no right to not like you." Brittany tells her honestly. She hates that her boyfriend doesn't like Santana, but she can understand why he doesn't. Well not her personally, but what could happen. Santana's amazing and he knows she's into girls as well as boys. And she finds it hard for anyone to not fall for Santana. She's perfect. And he has to know that. He obviously sees that.

"You're right, he does't know me." Santana says firmly. "Did I like do something to him? Or say something wrong?" She asks confused. She knows Brittany said he's extremely jealous, but he doesn't seem to hate anyone else. It seems to just be her he hates so much.

Brittany shakes her head quickly to reassure her she hadn't done anything wrong. She's been amazing actually. Even though she knows Santana hates Artie, she can tell the brunette has been trying to hold those feelings back and be nice to him. She even holds back her hatred and listens as Brittany talks about him. "Like I said before, he's just afraid of losing me to you." Brittany tells her honestly.

"He thinks you…you may like me like that?" She asks slowly. Even just saying it gives her tingly feelings. Just the thought that Brittany could like her makes her feel all lightheaded and dizzy. Kind of like she did when they had their first kiss.

Brittany turns her head and meets Santana's brown eyes. She nods her head distractedly as her eyes move down to those luscious lips. She can't help but think of the last time she kissed those perfect lips. It'd been magical. It's still the best kiss she's ever gotten. Maybe it's because she was young, and it was weird and exciting in that new kind of way. Or maybe kissing Santana is just that amazing. Is it wrong that she wants to find out?

"Does he not care that you're bisexual?" Santana asks, snapping Brittany from her daze.

The blonde shakes her head, trying to clear the fog surrounding her brain. What had Santana asked? "Um, no, no of course not." She says, finally being able to think a little clearer. "We were friends before we started dating, and I was with a girl. He didn't treat me any differently." She explains.

"Was it Quinn?" Santana asks curiously. She tries her best to hide the underlying annoyance in her voice.

Brittany giggles and shakes her head. "No." She confirms and it makes Santana let out a breath of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "You're still jealous of her aren't you?" Brittany asks amused.

A blush creeps up on Santana's cheeks and her eyes widen slightly. "Of course not." She says, looking away from Brittany.

Brittany just grins widely, watching Santana blush and shift uncomfortably on the bed. She obviously is. She doesn't understand why Santana is so jealous of her and why she always has been. Santana was her girlfriend when they were little and Quinn _wasn't_. Santana is her best friend now and Quinn _isn't_. Even before Santana lived here, she still reserved that spot for Santana. "Can I ask you something?" Brittany asks suddenly. Santana just nods, her eyes still looking everywhere but at Brittany. "Do you remember our first kiss?"

Santana blushes even harder and she feels her heart begin to race. But still, she can't stop the smile from forming on her face. "Of course I do." Santana says, nodding. Her eyes find Brittany's again and the way the blonde is looking at her makes butterflies flutter around in her tummy. "I remember our first kiss when we were like 7 and then our "real" first kiss." She informs Brittany.

_12 year old Brittany's lying in her bed staring up at her ceiling. She has a book lying on her chest, that she is supposed to be reading. It's for English class, and it's the most boring book she's ever read. She can't even get past like two sentences without her mind wondering off to something else. By the time she gets done with the page, she has no idea what she just read. _

_"I'm so stupid," She mutters with a groan. She sighs loudly and picks the book up, letting it hover a few inches above her face. Here goes attempt number three on the same page. _

_"Brittany," She hears a muffled voice call out. It's followed by a knock against her window. _

_At first Brittany's body freezes at the sound. Her heart starts racing in her chest and her mouth goes dry. There is someone outside her window. What does she do?"_

_"Brittany!" The voice calls out again. It's a female voice. She recognizes that voice. _

_Brittany sits up quickly on her bed and turns to the window, "Santana?" She asks confused. She hesitantly walks to her window and grabs a hold of the string on her blinds. "Tana is that you?" she asks fearfully. She hopes she is right, because she doesn't want to open these blinds and come face to face with a killer or something. She hasn't seen Santana in a few years, but she is pretty positive she remembers her voce exactly. _

_"It's me, open up." Santana says, knocking on the glass once again. _

_Brittany sighs in relief and opens up the blinds, coming face to face with Santana. She smiles widely and quickly opens up her window. "What are you doing here?" She just about shouts, pulling the girl into a tight hug. _

_Santana hugs her back briefly, before trying to push Brittany off her. "Can you please let me in." Santana asks, her voice strained by the blonde's death grip. "I'm sort of afraid of heights." Santana says, laughing awkwardly. She's trying to make light of a serious situation for her. I mean, she's a badass, she can't be crying like a little baby. _

_Brittany pulls back and helps Santana into her room. "Why did you climb the tree then?" She asks confused. _

_"Because, I couldn't use the front door." Santana explains. "Nobody can know I'm here alright?" Santana asks, giving Brittany a stern look. _

_They continue to stare at each other until Brittany finally nods, "Okay." She says a little unsurely. "But why?" _

_Santana bites down on her lip and moves across Brittany's room. She walks over to the blonde's dresser and looks at all the pictures she has sitting on top of it. There are also a few hanging on the wall above on a bulletin board. A few are actually of her and Brittany from a few years ago. It makes her smile, seeing that Brittany not only still has the photos, but she has them hanging up. _

_"Santana, why cant anyone know you're here? Do your parents know you're here?" Brittany asks, approaching the brunette. She places a hand on the girls arm, and feels Santana tense under her touch. _

_"No." Santana says, whipping around to face Brittany. It startles the blonde and Santana sees her jump slightly. "They won't care." She adds with a shrug, trying to ignore the fact, she'd just scared Brittany. She hadn't meant to react that way when she touched her, it was just a reflex. "Look, I just wanted to come and see you." Santana tells her, giving her a gentle smile. _

_Brittany smiles back and tilts her head to the side. "I missed you." Brittany says, puling her into yet another hug. She wraps her arms tightly around Santana's waist, puling their bodies flush together. _

_Santana winces in pain, and tries to nonchalantly pull away from Brittany. "I missed you too Britt Britt." She successfully pulls away from the blonde and tries her best to not let the pout on Brittany's face effect her. _

_"What's the matter?" Brittany asks concerned. She places her hand on Santana's arm and ducks her head trying to make eye contact with her. She doesn't miss the pain on Santana's face and the way she's trying to wiggle out of her grasp. _

_"Nothing." Santana assures her, shaking her head for extra effect. Santana moves over to the blonde's bed and lies down on her stomach. She pulls one of Brittany's pillows to her, and presses her face into, inhaling the scent of Brittany. It feels so good being back in Brittany's house, in her room. She missed her so much. _

_Brittany sits down on the edge of her bed, and stares down at Santana. "Something is wrong. You won't let me touch you." Brittany frowns. She reaches out to put her hand on Santana's back, but she just ends up letting it hover a second before pulling it back into her lap. Obviously Santana doesn't want to be touched. _

_Santana rolls over and looks up at Brittany, trying not to wince in pain. "I was riding my bike and crashed. I have bruises everywhere." Santana tells her. "You know how clumsy I am." She says laughing lightly. But Brittany doesn't laugh. "I'm sorry Brittany." Santana says sincerely. She turns over on her side and pats the bed next to her. "Lay down" She instructs. _

_Brittany does as she is told and lies down on her side, face to face with Santana. _

_Santana smiles warmly at the blonde and reaches out, brushing a piece of her hair out of her face. "I really did miss you," Santana whispers honestly. "I wish I could come back and live with you again." She admits. _

_"So stay," Brittany says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. _

_"I wish I could," Santana says, her warm smile turning into a sad one. "But it's not that easy." _

_Brittany's brows furrow. "Sure it is," She replies. "I'll just tell mom and dad you're here and they can-_

_"No." Santana interrupts firmly. "Brittany, you can not tell anyone I'm here." She says sternly. "I'm serious." She adds, giving the blonde a pointed look. _

_Brittany wants to protest. She wants to protest so bad, but she doesn't. She just nods and stays quiet just like she's told to. She just lies there, staring back into those dark eyes she's missed so much. Of course Santana has grown up, and changed a lot since the last time she saw her, but she's still the same person. Being with her and looking into those mocha eyes, still give her those same tingly feelings. "Can you stay tonight?" Brittany asks timidly. _

_Santana smiles and nods her head. "I'll stay tonight," She confirms. "I really needed to see you." She admits with a shaky breath. "Come here," She commands, lifting one of her arms. _

_Brittany wants to, she wants to more than anything, but she doesn't want to hurt her. "I don't want to hurt you Tana," Brittany says with a pout. _

_"You won't." Santana assures her. "Just be gentle." She says with a smile. "Here," Santana says, grabbing one of Brittany's hands. She places it on the small of her back where there are no injuries. She then wraps her own arms around Brittany, holding her securely. "There." She says with an accomplished smile. _

_Brittany smiles back and caresses Santana's back with her fingers softly. "Will you come visit me again?" Brittany asks softly. _

_Santana sighs, but nods her head. "I'll try my best." She promises. "It may not be soon, but I promise you we will see each other again." She assures her. She smiles warmly at the blonde and Brittany smiles back just as widely. God, she missed that smile so much. She feels like she's on some kind of high right now. Being this close to Brittany is the best thing she's ever felt in her life. "Can I kiss you?" Santana asks suddenly. It just slips out and even her eyes go wide after she says it. _

_Brittany's eyes match Santana's and her face turns a light shade of pink. She stares back at Santana for a few seconds, before finally nodding her head. She's nervous. She's never kissed anyone before. Not unless you count the peck that her and Santana shared a few years back when they were like 7. _

_"Are you sure?" Santana asks, needing to make sure this is something Brittany wants to. She wasn't even fully aware that she'd wanted it until the words just slipped out of her mouth. But now she wants it more than anything. _

_"Yes," Brittany breaths out, her face already inching toward Santana's. _

_Santana swallows hard and starts leaning in also, following Brittany's lead. She was the one who asked to kiss Brittany, but Brittany seems to be the one in charge. _

_Their lips finally meet and neither girl can describe the feeling that courses through their bodies. It's as if an electric current is flowing through them like they'd been electrocuted or something, although it feels amazing and not painful. _

_Brittany pulls back slightly only to lean forward and plant another kiss to Santana's lips. She presses harder into Santana and starts moving her lips experimentally. _

_They pull apart after a minute, neither being brave enough to put any tongue into the mix. But it was still the most amazing feeling either girl had ever experienced. "That felt weird." Brittany says with a giggle. _

_Santana smiles back and nods. "It was a good weird." She admits quietly and Brittany nods her head furiously in agreement. _

"When I woke up, you weren't there." Brittany remembers with a frown.

Santana sighs, "I'm sorry," She says sincerely. "I just couldn't risk your mom or someone coming in and seeing me. I was planning on leaving when you fell asleep but I couldn't. I couldn't make myself get up. I didn't want to leave your arms." She says, smiling sadly. "And then I fell asleep too." She says with a small laugh. "Luckily I woke up a few hours later and managed to leave before your parents woke up." Santana explains.

Brittany smiles and wraps her arms around Santana. "Now you don't have to leave." She tells her warmly. Santana nods and lies her head on Brittany's shoulder. "Those bruises, you didn't crash your bike did you?" Brittany asks, although she already knows the answer. She may not have been smart enough when she was 12 to realize what was happening, but now she does.

Santana just shakes her head.

A/N: Let me know what you think! Next chapter some stuff will be happening with the girls! Progress with their relationship! (;


	11. Chapter 11

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Chapter 11

A/N: Okay I know this story has a lot of flashbacks and things happening so here is a little summary!

What we know so far:

5- Santana was abandoned when she was 5 and lived with Brittany until she was 7.

7-When she was 7 she was adopted by a family who was not able to get pregnant.

9-Santana was in her room with wounds on her legs and she had a baby sister.

12-When she was 12 she ran away from her adoptive family and showed up at Brittany's with bruises. She only stayed one night and Brittany wasn't allowed to tell anyone and they had their first real kiss.

14-When she was 14 she told her foster brother she thought she was gay and he got upset.

17- Brittany finds her in the park once again and she comes to live with them

I believe that is all I've revealed, but there if anything else I forgot to add let me know! (: Also if you have any questions message me here or on tumblr, or ask in a review! I'm happy to answer anything!

o0o0o

Brittany pulls Santana closer to her, and rests her chin on the top of Santana's head. Even though she knew the answer, hearing Santana admit that those bruises had definitely not been from a bike crash made her angry. It made her angry _and_ sad. She isn't sure who had done it, but she has a pretty good idea.

Santana had a foster brother, which meant she had been fostered. When she left their house at 7 she was going to live with adoptive parents. That means she got taken away from her adoptive parents for a reason. She was pretty positive, they'd been abusive. But she'd ask Santana about it later. She's already opened up so much today, she's sure she can't handle anymore.

"I couldn't get it out of my head for years after." Santana says, breaking their silence. Brittany can hear the smirk in her voice which confuses her. "Our kiss." Santana clarifies. It makes Brittany grin against Santana's hairline. "I wanted to kiss you again, so bad." She tells her honestly.

"I wanted to kiss you again too." Brittany admits. _Want to kiss you again._

Santana smiles and pulls away from Brittany just slightly so she can look at her. "Apart of me was angry for kissing you." She says, and it makes Brittany frown. Had she regretted it? That was confusing, because she'd just seemed so happy about it. "It was a tease you know? I got a taste, but I couldn't ever have it again." She further explains, making the blonde's grin reappear. "But, I'd never take it back." She adds quickly.

Brittany chuckles and squeezes Santana, "I understand." She assures. "I thought about it for years after also." Brittany admits.

"Really?" Santana asks a little unsure. Why would Brittany think about their kiss that long? Obviously she'd gotten over her. She has a boyfriend now, and she's dated other people before him.

Brittany nods and grins widely at Santana, squeezing her a little tighter. "Really." She confirms.

"You know, technically you're cheating on me." Santana says after a minute. As soon as it comes out, she regrets saying it and laughs awkwardly, trying to brush it off. "I mean we never broke up." She explains further, only embarrassing herself even more. She just needs to stop talking now.

Brittany blushes and looks away briefly. It makes Santana feel even dumber. Why'd she have to go and say that? Now Brittany is uncomfortable.

"Brittany, I'm just kidding." Santana assures her with a forced smile. She's uncomfortable as hell, but she's trying to hide that so Brittany doesn't feel uncomfortable as well.

The blonde looks up at Santana and when she sees the smile on the Latina's face, she lets out a laugh. A true laugh. Not an uncomfortable one, or a forced one. She's actually laughing and it makes Santana let out a breath of relief.

"Technically, I guess you're right." Brittany says, after her giggles had subsided. Her face turns serious again and she watches as Santana's giggles slowly subside. "So you're still my girlfriend." She states slowly.

Santana smiles but when her eyes meet Brittany's she realizes Brittany isn't smiling anymore. It makes Santana's face grow serious also. "Britt…," She says with an awkward chuckle. She isn't really sure where this is going. She'd been completely kidding when she'd made the crack about Brittany cheating on her. She obviously didn't believe she was still dating this girl. She'd thought Brittany was joking with her also. Apparently not.

"I mean you're right, I never broke up with you and I don't remember you breaking up with me, right?" She asks and Santana slowly shakes her head, still unsure. She notices Brittany's eyes move down to her lips and it makes her feel nervous. "So it'd be okay if I kissed you right?" Brittany asks quietly, making Santana's eyes widen.

Her heart race picks up, and she knows she should pull back but she doesn't. Her face is inches away from Brittany's now. Her eyes move down to Brittany's lips when she notices the blonde licking them. Is this really happening right now?

"Right?" Brittany breaths out.

Santana shakes her head, trying to clear the fog but it's no use. She's too close to Brittany to be able to think clearly. But she remembers Brittany asking her a question. She's basically asking her permission to kiss her. What does she say? She should say no right? Right. Brittany has a boyfriend. Kissing her would be wrong. _Wrong_. "Right." Santana answers disregarding everything her head is screaming at her.

It's all Brittany needs, and she's leaning in kissing Santana with everything she has. It's not soft, but it's not too rough. It's perfect and shows Santana just how much she's wanted to do this for practically ever.

Once Brittany's lips on hers it seems like everything disappears. Everything physical in the room, and emotionally. It's like everything has been lifted from her heart and her mind and all that's left is Brittany. For the first time she feels safer than she's ever felt in her life, and she feels happier than she has ever felt. It's scary really. It's like she has no control on anything.

"Brittany," Santana mumbles, pulling away. It's hard and Brittany leans forward trying to follow her lips, but she manages to keep her away. "Britt…" She trails, looking down, her brows furrowing.

"What's wrong?" Brittany asks worriedly. She reaches out placing her hand on Santana's cheek, stroking it with her thumb. Kissing Santana had been ever better than she remembered. She wants to do it again, and again. Basically she never wants to stop.

Santana sighs and stands up off the bed. She can't think clearly being that close to Brittany. Especially when she's touching her so gently like that. "You have a boyfriend, that's what's wrong." Santana tells her, running her hand through her hair. She starts pacing the floor, her thoughts running a mile a minute through her head.

"I don't want to be with him," Brittany admits. "I want you. I _have_ you. I've had you since we were 5 and that's the way I want it." She says, watching as Santana paces back and forth in the middle of the room. She wants to reach out and stop her, but she knows it's probably not a good idea.

"Brittany we were 5!" Santana shouts, startling the blonde. She stops pacing and turns towards Brittany, her hands thrown in the air. "We were 5." She repeats a bit calmer. "We're 17 now and we're completely different people." She says, but Brittany isn't sure what it has to do with anything. Sure they're older, but they're still Brittany and Santana.

Brittany slowly stands up and approaches Santana. She doesn't touch her yet, but she stands directly in front of her. Santana's fearful eyes meet her own and she smiles gently. "Santana, we're older, but I still want you to be my girlfriend. That hasn't changed." Brittany says firmly. "_We_ haven't changed."

"Maybe you haven't, but I have." Santana replies, her eyes dropping to the floor. "Look, either way, you still have a boyfriend." Santana responds, looking back up at Brittany. "And I won't let you cheat on him. You shouldn't." She tells her honestly. "Especially not with me."

Brittany's brows furrow and she watches Santana as she quickly walks to the door. "What is that supposed to mean? Especially not with you?" Brittany asks confused.

Santana pauses, her hand on the door knob. "It doesn't matter." She responds simply, before walking out of the room.

"Santana wait!" Brittany shouts, throwing the door open. She grabs Santana and spins her around in the middle of the hallway. "I want to be with you Santana," Brittany says with so much honesty it makes Santana's heart beat speed up. "Don't you want to be with me?" She asks desperately. "Please tell me I haven't been reading you wrong the past few weeks."

Santana pulls her arm out of Brittany's grasp, but she doesn't walk away. "It's not that simple." She says, shaking her head.

"I'll break up with Artie." Brittany tells her seriously.

Santana looks up at her, her brows furrowed, "This is all too much right now." She says, trying to clear her mind. She has so many thoughts running through her head right now and she can't get a grasp on any of it. "I need to take a walk or something." She says looking back up at Brittany.

"Santana, talk to me." Brittany pleads.

Santana inhales deeply, and slowly breathes back out. "Look, I just have a lot going on in my head, and I can't process any of it." She tells her honestly. "I just need to clear my head a little. I'll be right back." She grabs Brittany's hands in hers and gives her a reassuring squeeze. "Just don't do anything you're going to regret okay?" She asks, giving the blonde a pointed look. "Think about everything before you make a move."

"Okay." Brittany says with a nod.

"Promise?" Santana asks skeptically, raising her pinky.

Brittany smiles and wraps her pinky around Santana's. "Promise."

o0o0o0o

Santana walks back into the house, and quietly shuts the door behind her. She sees Susan sitting on the couch on her laptop. The woman looks over at her and smiles. "You alright honey?" She asks, noticing Santana's features.

"I'm okay." Santana confirms. "I just needed to clear my head." She informs her. "Is Brittany not here?" She asks confused. She noticed when she came in that the blonde's car was no longer in the driveway. It worried her, considering what'd just happened not 20 minutes ago. Was she regretting what'd happened now?

"No she went out." Susan confirms. "She said she wouldn't be gone long." She adds reassuringly. "Did you need to talk about something?"

Santana shakes her head and gives the woman a small smile. "No, I'm good." She tells her. She debates going up into her room, but that'll just make Susan even more suspicious. She can't know what is going on. That's another reason Santana can't be with Brittany. She's living in their house. She can't do anything that will risk getting kicked out. She can't go back to the park and she definitely can't go back into the system.

"Come watch some TV with me." Susan says, patting the couch.

Santana hesitates, but nods her head. She sits down next to the woman and looks over at the TV. She's watching the news. _Fun_. Maybe, hearing all these depressing stories, will make her life not seem to suck so much.

"So what's been going on with you and Brittany?" Susan asks, not looking up for her computer screen. Santana's eyes widen and she opens her mouth but closes it back just like a fish does. She doesn't know what to say. How did she know something was going on? Does she know what it is? "You ran out of here and not two minutes after you left, she sped out." She explains with a shrug. "And you were upset earlier."

Santana sighs and looks down at her lap. She starts playing with her fingers, trying to distract herself What does she even say? She can't obviously tell her the truth. "It's nothing really." Santana says with an awkward shrug. "We just had a small disagreement about Artie." She lies. Technically it's not a lie though. Sure he wasn't the main focus of the disagreement, but he was a part of it.

Susan nods her head knowingly and hums in recognition. "I see." she says, moving her eyes away from her computer. She closes the lid and sets it aside, giving Santana her full attention. "What did he do?" She asks knowingly.

"What makes you think he did something?" Santana asks slightly confused.

Susan laughs dryly in response. "He's _always_ doing something." She replies, lifting an eyebrow at Santana.

Just as Santana is about to respond, Ashley comes bouncing down the stairs. Santana rolls her eyes as the blonde sits down next to her. "What are you guys talking about?" She asks, her nosiness never failing.

"Artie." Susan responds and Ashley rolls her eyes and scoffs. They're both obviously not fans of him either.

"She still hasn't dumped that loser?" Ashley asks, sinking down in the couch. She props her feet up on the coffee table and grabs the remote to change the channel.

Santana half expects Susan to get onto Ashley for saying something like that about someone, but she doesn't. She doesn't condone it but she doesn't get on to her. Is there anyone who likes Brittany and Artie together? Besides Artie of course. Santana briefly wonders if they'd like her dating Brittany.

Susan gives Santana a pat on her leg and stands up. "I need to start dinner. If you want to talk you can come and help me." She says before she walks into the kitchen leaving Santana and Ashley alone on the couch.

Santana briefly considers going upstairs, but before she can even truly consider the thought, Ashley of course speaks up. "So you haven't made your move yet?" Ashley asks, looking over at Santana with a smirk.

"What?" Santana shouts. As soon as she says it, she realizes she said a little too loud and her head snaps around towards the kitchen. Susan is chopping some vegetables on the cutting board, and hasn't even looked up. _Good_. "What are you talking about?" Santana says in a calmer voice.

Ashley laughs at the Latina's reaction and shakes her head. "You guys are into each other." She says as if it were obvious. "I figured she would have dumped that wheel chair kid for you by now." She says with a shrug. "I guess you're not as cool as I thought." She sighs in a condescending tone.

Santana's brows furrow. "We're not into each other." Santana lies. "I'm not gay." Another lie.

Ashley laughs once again and it's not just a chuckle. It's a full blown laugh, with even a few tears. It makes Santana a little angry. This isn't a joke. "Santana," Ashley says, trying to control her laughter. It takes a minute, but she finally does it. And then she sees the anger in Santana's eyes. She knows she hit a nerve. "Look, I know I've been a bitch like ever since you've known me." Ashley says, rolling her eyes at herself. "But I know my sister and I know she's into you. I also can tell you're into her." She says giving the Latina a pointed look. "I made fun of you guys when you were younger for being girlfriends and everything, but I actually kind of like the idea of you guys together." She says honestly.

"Seriously?" Santana asks a little unsure. Ashley just nods in response. "Like I said I'm not gay though," Santana says with a shrug. "I mean yeah Brittany is awesome and she's my best friend, but I'm not into her like that." Lies. So many lies.

Ashley rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Keep telling yourself that."

"I have homework." Santana grumbles, getting up off the couch.

o0o0o

Santana is sitting at the desk in Emily's room doing her math homework. Homework is definitely a good distraction for her. She hasn't forgotten everything that happened between her and Brittany today, but it's definitely helping her to not think about it at the moment. How could she actually forget what'd happened? And how could she forget that conversation with Ashley? Is she really okay with it? Maybe, she's playing some prank on her, or scheming to get her out of the house. She wouldn't put that past Ashley.

Brittany had kissed her. She's been wanting to kiss Brittany since two seconds after their first kiss. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. She wants to do it again, but she can't. Brittany deserves better than her. And besides she has Artie. This whole, her breaking up with him just seems so sudden. Sure, they've been fighting a lot lately and Brittany has seemed unhappy, but she hasn't mentioned wanting to end things. Just earlier she was on a date with him, wanting to make up with him. It's just happening so fast.

Santana feels arms wrap around her neck and she just about jumps out of the chair. She relaxes though when she realizes it's Brittany. Of course it's Brittany, who else would do that? "Where did you go?" She asks, keeping her eyes ahead. She can feel Brittany's breath on her ear and it sends a chill down her spine.

Instead of responding vocally, Brittany pulls back and spins Santana's chair around. Santana looks afraid, and it makes Brittany's heart hurt a little. She's not exactly sure what she is afraid of, but she hopes she can make it better. "Hey," Brittany greets her with a warm smile, completely disregarding the question.

"Hi." Santana says slowly.

Brittany grins and leans in placing a soft kiss to Santana's lips. She pulls back and watches Santana's eyes slowly flutter back open, "I broke up with Artie." Brittany tells her with a wide smile. She leans in for another kiss but Santana pushes her back and stands up abruptly.

"You what?!" She shouts, her eyes going wide. "Why?"

It surprises Brittany and she falls forward, catching herself in the chair. She sits down and spins around to look at Santana, completely caught off guard by her outburst. She thought she'd be happy. They can be with each other now.

"What do you mean why? I did it for you." Brittany says, standing up from the chair. She walks over to Santana, and stops her from pacing by grabbing both Santana's hands in her own, holding on tightly so she can't pull away. "I want to be with you Santana." Brittany says seriously. "And I know you want to be with me." She says confidently.

Santana looks deep into ocean blue eyes. The ones she always seems to get lost in. She is trying hard this time not to get lost, because right now all she really wants to do is grab Brittany and kiss her forever, but she can't. "Brittany." Santana says, making Brittany frown. She hardly ever uses her full name, and definitely not in that tone of voice. If she does then it's normally not good.

"What?" The blonde asks confused, searching chocolate orbs. She's trying to find an answer in those dark eyes, but all she sees is hurt, and sadness, but she doesn't understand why.

"I thought I told you not to do anything rash." Santana reminds her.

Brittany rolls her eyes, "I didn't. I thought about it first." Brittany replies. "I've been thinking about it nonstop for weeks actually." She says honestly. "Even before you got here." She says, and Santana's eyes widen slightly. That was a big of a surprise to her. "I knew I needed to break up with him." She admits. "He doesn't treat me right, but at least he wanted to be with me. Every other guy in school just wants to have sex with me and never see me again." She explains, tears beginning to feel her eyes. "I was afraid I wouldn't find anyone else who loved me so I stayed with him. But then you came back…" She trails off, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "I like you Santana, and I'm finally doing something about it. I'm throwing away my safe net, and I'm taking a chance."

"We can't." Santana says simply, pulling her hands away from Brittany. She turns her body in the opposite direction. She can't look at Brittany anymore, the sadness on her face was getting too much for Santana to take. "I'm no good for you Britt, you deserve so much better than me. I'm too fucked up." Santana whispers, as tears begin filling her eyes.

Brittany grabs a hold of Santana's arm and spins her around once again. Santana ducks her head down, looking at the floor, still not being able to look Brittany in the eye. She knows how much hurt is in those blue orbs, and she knows she'll break if she looks, but she can't. She can't break. "You can't make that decision for me, San." Brittany says sternly, ducking her head down, trying to catch Santana's gaze. "I want to be with you. I'm not a child, I can make my own decisions. You can't tell me what's good or what isn't good for me." She adds, placing her hand under Santana's chin, lifting it up. "I've been trying to tell myself the last few weeks, I was still hanging onto a childhood crush, but I'm not. I still want you Santana." She admits sincerely.

Santana looks at Brittany briefly before letting her gaze fall to the side. She wants to tell her how much she wants her too. How much she's wanted to hear those words from Brittany's mouth since she's been here, but she doesn't. "Brittany, i'll just hurt you." She says as a tears escapes from her dark eyes.

"You would never hurt me." Brittany replies softly yet confidently. She knows Santana, and she knows the brunette would never to anything that would cause harm to Brittany. She dose everything in her power to _prevent_ that form happening.

Santana lets out a sigh, before moving her gaze over to Brittany's meeting her blue eyes. "Maybe not purposely." She replies, wrapping her fingers around Brittany's pale wrist. She brings the blonde's hand up to her lips and kisses the back of it, before placing it back down by Brittany's side. "You deserve better Britt. _So_ much better. Definitely better than Artie, and also better than me." She tells her honestly.

Brittany rolls her eyes frustrated, and shakes her head quickly, "Stop telling me what I deserve. I can make my own decisions." She almost yells in response. She doesn't want to get angry but she can't help it. Santana isn't being reasonable, she's not being fair. "You don't know that you will hurt me." She argues.

"And you don't know that I won't." Santana responds without a skipping beat. "I'm so fucked up Brittany. I'm a mess."

"You aren't fucked up." Brittany tells her softly. She brings her hand up to Santana's cheek and guides her to look at her. "You've been through a lot, and you're _still_ going through a lot." She says knowingly. "But I want to help you. We can get through this together."

Santana sighs and grabs Brittany's hand, bringing it away from her face. But she doesn't let go of it. "I don't want to drag you into all of this." She says firmly.

"I'm apart of it." Brittany responds quickly. "I'm apart of it, and I _want_ to be apart of it. And I _will_ be apart of it whether it's as your friend or your girlfriend." She says just as firmly as Santana had been. "You don't have a say in it." She adds with a hint of a smirk.

Santana breaths out a small chuckle and shakes her head. "Brittany…" She says, but pauses, because she's out of things to say. She can't be with Brittany, but she's tired of arguing and she has nothing left to say. If they continue arguing she's just going to start repeating herself. She doesn't know what to do. It seems like they're at a dead in. Neither are giving in.

"Look, I know this is a lot." Brittany says with a sigh. "Let's just get some sleep and we can figure things out tomorrow." She suggests with a small shrug. "But please, think about it." She asks desperately.

Santana just nods her head, "Okay."

"Goodnight Santana." Brittany says softly. She leans in and places a gentle kiss to Santana's forehead. She pulls back smiles at the content look on Santana's face. Her eyes are closed and she has a small smile on her lips. The crease between her brows is gone and she looks completely relaxed. "Can I still sleep in here?" Brittany asks in a small voice, hopefully.

Santana's eyes slowly flutter open and she nods her head.

o0o0o

Brittany wakes up the next morning with a bright smile. Sure yesterday had been a long day. A long day filled with drama, but today is another day. And she feels today will be better. Even after sleeping on it, she doesn't regret her decision to break up with Artie. It may have seemed a bit rash, because she hadn't mentioned it to anyone. But she wasn't lying when she said, she'd been considering it for awhile now.

It was just hard, because everyone hated him, so she couldn't talk to anyone about him. If she would have they would've just told her to do it already. She needed an actual civil conversation. An unbiased opinion, but she couldn't seem to find one. That's why it took her so long to actually act on her thoughts.

Honestly, she has no idea what over came her yesterday when she kissed Santana. Sure, she's been wanting to do it ever since Santana moved back in with them, but she'd had an easy time keeping those feelings under wraps. Maybe it had something to do with yet another fight her and Artie had gotten into when she went out with him earlier in the day. She was fed up with him, and honestly to the point where she was too tired to fight herself on her feelings for Santana. She was also starting to get confused on why she was fighting herself on those feelings. She liked Santana, and she'd been positive Santana felt the saw way. And God knows Santana would treat her better than Artie. So why was she still with him?

Santana had been one of the reasons, she broke up with Artie, but she wouldn't say she broke up with him _for_ Santana. She needed to break up with him, whether or not she was going to be with Santana or not. Everyone was right, he didn't treat her well. She just refused to see it because believe it or not, he treated her better than any other guy has ever treated her. Even her girlfriend hadn't been that great, and there weren't many girls in Lima that were gay or bi-sexual.

Santana coming back into her life just gave her the motivation she needed to end things with him. The way Santana makes her feel and the way Santana treats her, reminds her of how she should be treated, and how she _wants_ to be treated. It was a much needed wake up call.

Speaking of Santana, Brittany rolls over and opens her eyes, her smile still stuck on her face.

It quickly turns into a frown when she realizes Santana is nowhere to be found. She quickly climbs out of bed, checking her bathroom, but Santana isn't there either. And there are no signs that she'd been in there recently. She pulls on some clothes and makes her way downstairs expecting to see Santana watching TV or in the kitchen eating breakfast. She's not in either rooms.

"Mom, where is Santana?" She asks curiously, and a bit worriedly.

Susan turns to her daughter and frowns. "I haven't seen her." She says, her brows furrowing. "She's not still sleeping?" Susan asks, her own concern growing.

Brittany just shakes her head and dashes back up the stairs. She searches every room, even Ashley's, looking for the Latina. But she's nowhere to be found.

She's gone.

**A/N: **Let me know what you think! I'm not too sure about this chapter! So feedback would be bomby!


	12. Chapter 12

**The Light At The End Of The Tunnel **

**Chapter 12**

**A/N: **Thank you guys so much for the review! I think that I replied to everyone with a username, but thank you also to all of you Anons! (: I really appreciate all the reviews and feedback! Hearing what you guys want to happen or what will happen makes me happy! (:

**What we know so far: **

5- Santana was abandoned when she was 5 and lived with Brittany until she was 7.

7-When she was 7 she was adopted by a family who was not able to get pregnant.

9-Santana was in her room with wounds on her legs and she had a baby sister.

12-When she was 12 she ran away from her adoptive family and showed up at Brittany's with bruises. She only stayed one night and Brittany wasn't allowed to tell anyone and they had their first real kiss.

14-When she was 14 she told her foster brother she thought she was gay and he got upset.

17- Brittany finds her in the park once again and she has a black eye. She comes to live with them

Brittany runs back down the stairs into the living room, her cell phone pressed up against her ear. Her bottom lip is sucked into her mouth, her teeth nibbling away on it. "Pick up, pick up," She chants over and over as she paces the floor.

Susan watches her with worried eyes, waiting to see if Santana picks her phone up. But she doesn't, because Brittany huffs and pulls it away from her ear and starts texting. Susan assumes she's now texting Santana. "Maybe she just went for a walk." Susan suggests hopefully. She doesn't understand why Santana would run away, but by the way Brittany is acting, it's obviously a possibly.

Brittany doesn't answer her mom, she just presses her phone back up against her ear. She starts pacing once again as it rings over and over. "Santana," She says worriedly. "Call me back, please," Brittany begs, "Im so sorry about yesterday. We can just act like it never happened if you want," She explains as she makes her way into the kitchen, trying to get away from her mom. "Santana, please just let me know you're safe." She says, taking in a deep breath, "Don't leave me again." Brittany pleads before hanging up the phone. She leans on the island, tears streaming down her face.

"Brittany, what happened?" Susan asks, walking into the kitchen. Her voice is stern. She's determined.

"Nothing," Brittany lies. She stands up straight and turns away from her mother, wiping her tears away.

Susan sighs and turns her daughter around to face her. "That is a lie." She accuses. "I normally try and stay out of your business, but I have to know what happen between you guys." She explains, giving the blonde a stern look. "Santana is gone and could be god knows where. You are going to tell me what happened, right now." She says, giving Brittany a firm look, letting her there is no room for argument.

Brittany sighs and pulls out a chair. She plops down into it and buries her head in her hands. "I broke up with Artie." Brittany says with a sigh. She looks over at her mother who just looks confused.

"I'm sorry honey," She says, rubbing a comforting hand on her daughters back, "But what does that have to do with Santana? Did she do something to break you guys up?" She asks, her brows furrowing. She could tell Santana wasn't a fan of Artie, but she couldn't ever picture the girl breaking him and Brittany up.

"No." Brittany says shaking her head. She breaths in deeply, and picks her head back up from her hands. "I want to be with her mom," Brittany admits, her bottom lip trembling.

Susan's eyes widen, briefly shocked by the confession. But all honesty it shouldn't surprise her that much. She's hasn't been oblivious to the two of them. She could tell Santana was into Brittany, but she hadn't been sure about her daughter. But why would Santana run away? "Did she not want to be with you?" Susan asks gently, sitting down next to Brittany.

Brittany sniffles and shakes her head, "She does." She says, which confuses Susan. "She just _won't_. She kept saying she wasn't good enough for me. We argued for like half an hour about it." Brittany explains, exasperated.

"Honey, Santana has been through a lot." Susan says with a sigh. She continues rubbing gentle circles on Brittany's back, trying to sooth her. "A relationship probably isn't something she needs right now." She says honestly, and it makes Brittany frown. "Don't get me wrong, I'd be completely happy for both of you, if you guys started dating." She says with a small smile. "But I don't want you to make Santana feel pressured into anything. She has a lot of things she needs to work out. She needs to work on herself before she can be with someone." Susan tells her honestly. "This is her home now, and she should never feel like she can't be here. She shouldn't ever be uncomfortable living here,"

"I wasn't pushing her." Brittany says defensively. Brittany would never try and make her do something she didn't want to do. And she would definitely never try and make her feel uncomfortable. "I told her that if she didn't want to be with me, then I'll still be here for her as a friend." Brittany informs her mother. "I told her to just think about it," She adds with a slight shrug. "Everything was fine when we went to bed last night." She says, fresh tears threatening to fall from her eyes again. She looks back over at her mother, confusion written all over her face.

Susan sighs and runs her free hand through her hair. "She's probably just overwhelmed." Susan says. "I bet she just went for a walk to clear her head." She suggests reassuringly.

Brittany nods and stands up from her chair. She wipes her cheeks with the back of her hand and picks her phone up off the table. "I'm going to go and look for her." Brittany tells her mom.

Susan nods and follows Brittany to the front door. "If she's not back within the hour, I'll come help you. Call me if you find her." She says, puling Brittany into a hug. "She didn't leave for good Brittany." Susan assures her. She places a kiss on Brittany's cheek and pulls back.

"I hope you're right." Brittany sighs before walking out the door.

o0o0o0o

Brittany sits outside of Quinn's house, waiting for her to come out. After searching all over town, she'd called Quinn to see if there was any chance, she'd seen Santana or heard from her since last night. Quinn hadn't of course, but she'd offered to help look for her.

Quinn quickly makes her way down the driveway and jumps in Brittany's car. "Hey, any word?" Quinn asks, concerned. Brittany just shakes her head. "We'll find her Britt." Quinn assures, reaching over, giving Brittany's leg a squeeze. "Where do you think she may have gone? Does she have any spots around town, she likes?" Quinn ask, trying to help.

"The park." Brittany says, her eyes lighting up. Why hadn't she thought of it before? It's where Santana always goes. She has to be there. "I know where she is." Brittany says with a relived smile. She puts the car into drive and heads down the road towards the park.

They arrive at the park and Brittany jumps out of the car almost before she even puts it into park. She leaves it to Quinn to take the keys out of the ignition as she races towards the play ground, she's found Santana at twice already. "Santana?" She shouts as she approaches it. She climbs up the platforms and looks around, but sees no sign of her. "Tana?" She crawls towards the tunnel she always finds her in, but Santana isn't there.

"Damn it," Brittany mumbles, tears filling her eyes once again. She crawls into the tunnel and curls up into a ball, letting the tears fall freely.

"Britt?" She hears Quinn's voice. "Brittany is she there?" The blonde asks, but Brittany doesn't respond. She can't find her voice, sobs just keep escaping her lips. "Brittany?" Quinn asks, slightly out of breath. She crawls into the tunnel next to Brittany. When she sees the blonde curled up in the tunnel, her heart breaks. "We'll find her, we just have to keep looking." Quinn says hopefully.

Brittany just shakes her head. "No! She's gone." Brittany cries. "I have no idea where else she'd be." She says her voice filled with defeat.

Quinn sighs and rubs her palms over her face. She tries racking her brain with options, but she knows hardly anything about Santana. "Does she have any friends or someone she may have gone too?"

Brittany hiccups and sits up slightly, leaning next to Quinn. "Puck," She says a little unsure. The last time Santana had hung out with Puck, it didn't go well. She wasn't sure if Santana would go back to hang out with him, but it is worth a try.

"Puck?" Quinn asks her brows furrowing. "Are they like dating or something?" She asks confused. Even through all the drama, Brittany can sense the jealousy in Quinn's tone. It annoys her a little bit.

"What? No!" Brittany says, shaking her head. "They're just friends." She says, pulling out her cell phone. She comes across Pucks Number and hits call. A few rings in, he answers. "Hey Puck, its Brittany." She says, just in case he didn't have her number. They exchanged numbers awhile ago, but she doesn't think she's used it like ever. "Have you seen Santana?" She asks hopefully.

_"Not since last night." He answers. "Why, what's up?" He asks, sounding a bit worried. _

Brittany frowns. "When did you see her last night?" She asks confused. They'd spent all afternoon together, and they went to bed together. When would she have seen Puck? Unless she snuck out right after Brittany fell asleep, instead of early this morning.

_"I saw her walking and picked her up. It was a little after midnight." He explains, making Brittany's brows furrow. "She seemed upset, and she didn't want to go with me, but I eventually talked her into getting in." He continues. "I offered to take her back to your house, but she didn't want to. So we came back to my house and smoked a little." He says, and Brittany can hear the shrug in his voice. _

"You _smoked_ a little?" Brittany asks confused. "Like weed?" She asks, her eyes growing wide.

_"Yeah, we just hung out and smoked like we always do." He informs her, obviously not acknowledging the fact that Brittany isn't supposed to know about their after school activities. "I tried to get her to tell me what was wrong, but she didn't want to talk about it. So we just smoked and watched some crappy TV." _

Brittany breaths in deeply, trying to calm herself. Now isn't the time to flip out on Puck for getting high with Santana. And apparently on a regular basis. "What time did she leave?" She asks, trying to get back on track. She'll yell at them, _after_ she finds Santana.

_Puck hums in response, trying to recall the time. "I dropped her back off at your house around 3." He finally answers. "What's going on?" He asks, sounding concerned again. "Is she alright?" _

Brittany sighs, "She wasn't home when I woke up this morning." Brittany replies. "I have no idea where she is, and I'm trying to find her."

_Brittany can hear shuffling around on the other end of the phone, and then the sound of keys clinking together. "I'll help look for her." He says, his voice telling her there is no room for discussion. "She said she was gonna go inside and get some sleep when I dropped her off." he says, rushing out the door. "I even watched her walk inside." _

"Just let me know if you find her." Brittany sighs, hanging the phone up. She checks her messages with Santana and her missed calls, just to make sure hadn't missed anything. She hadn't. "They hung out last night, but he brought her back home around 3." Brittany tells Quinn, defeated. "I'm out of options." She says, burying her face in her hands.

A fresh wave of tears hits Brittany and she buries her face in her hands. Quinn wraps her arm around her, and pulls her into her. "Brittany, we'll find her, I promise." Quinn assures her quietly. They both know that's a promise she isn't sure she can keep, but it helps to hear it. "Why would she run away?" Quinn asks confused.

Brittany is about to explain what happened for the second time today, but before she speaks, her phone starts ringing. She gasps and quickly fumbles around for it and hits send holding it up to her ear, not even bothering to look at the caller ID. "Santana?" She asks hopefully.

_"It's Rachel." The voice informs her. Brittany frowns and rolls her eyes. Rachel is like the last person she wants to talk to right now. _

"Hey Rachel," She greets, siding eyeing Quinn who gives her an odd look. She's obviously confused as to why Rachel would be calling her. It only happens, when it's Glee related. "Look, I'm sorry, but it's not a good time to talk right now," Brittany explains with a sigh. She's about to hang up, but Rachel's voice speaks again.

_"Santana is with me." She says. _

Brittany sits up quickly and bumps her head on the top of the tunnel, making her wince. "What? Where are you guys? Why is she with you?" Brittany asks, her mouth moving a mile a minute. She's confused, but mostly she's relieved.

_Brittany hears Santana's voice in the background, and she strains her hears to try and make out what the girl is saying. "I don't wanna talk to her. Why did you call her?" Santana says frustrated. Her voice sounds slurred. Brittany's pretty sure she's drunk. _

"Rachel where are you?" Brittany asks loudly, trying to get Rachel's attention once again. The Diva is clearly having a difficult time concentrating on talking to Brittany when Santana is constantly talking beside her.

_"Don't tell her Rachel!" Santana slurs, her voice louder. There is shuffling on the line, and Brittany thinks, Santana is trying to take the phone away from Rachel._

Brittany's heart breaks, listening to Santana. It hurts her that Santana is so adamant on not talking to her, and keeping herself hidden from her. "Rachel please," Brittany begs. "Where are you?"

_"My house," Rachel says, quietly and quickly into the phone. Brittany is grateful, Rachel tells her and she's even more grateful she said it quietly so Santana wouldn't hear. Brittany was afraid that if Santana knew she told her, that she'd just leave before Brittany could get there. _

Brittany is already climbing out of the tunnel and rushing back towards her car. "I'll be there soon," She assures Rachel, before hanging up the phone. She jumps into her car and it's a good thing Quinn had run fast, because she probably would have just been left at the park if she were any slower.

o0o0o0o

"Is she coming? Did you tell her where I am?" Santana asks, struggling to get off of Rachel's bed. But she's a little too drunk and just gives up, collapsing back on the bed. "I don't want to see her." She admits in a whiny voice.

Rachel's brows furrow and she watches Santana. She's standing in the middle of her room, her phone clutched in her hand at her side. "Why?" Rachel asks curiously. She walks over to the bed and sits on the edge of it, looking back at Santana who has her arm thrown over her face.

Santana just groans in response and rolls over, burying her face in the comforter. "I just don't." Santana says stubbornly. She sits up and looks over at Rachel who is now right beside her. "Why does everyone hate you?" She mumbles in a high pitched tone, tilting her head to the side. It's like it's the strangest thing that she's ever heard, and it makes Rachel laugh.

"I don't know." Rachel says honestly with a shrug. "I guess, because I look different and because I'm more talented than everyone at school." She says, sticking her chin up in the air. "They're just jealous." She adds confidently. But Santana can see through her. Rachel just keeps trying to tell herself that, even if she doesn't actually believe it.

"You _are_ a good singer." Santana replies with a nod. "I guess." She adds with a nonchalant shrug. "I wish I was as talented as you," She admits as she starts playing with the girls hair. She looks utterly fascinated with the brunette locks.

Rachel just smirks and pulls herself away from Santana slightly. "Thank you," She says with a blush. Normally when she is complimented she just shrugs and says she knows. Because she _does_ know. But for some reason, she doesn't use the cocky attitude with Santana. She doesn't feel like she needs to.

"Is Brittany coming? I don't want her coming!" Santana says frustrated. She pulls away from Rachel and throws herself back on the bed with a frustrated sigh.

Rachel sighs, and debates whether or not she should tell her or if she should lie. She doesn't really think Santana is capable of fleeing, so she doesn't think there is any harm in telling her. Other than upsetting her even more. Although, she'll be even more upset when Brittany actually gets here.

A knock on the door saves Rachel from having to answer either way. "I'll be right back." Rachel tells her, getting off the bed. "Just stay here okay?" She asks, turning her attention back to the Latina lying on the bed.

Santana groans and kicks her legs, punching the bed with her fists. She looks like a 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum. "It's Brittany!" She whines. "I don't want her here!" She yells frustrated.

Rachel just slips out of her bedroom and walks downstairs. She opens the door revealing Brittany and Quinn. "Hey." She greets with a relieved sigh. "She's upstairs in my room." Rachel tells them, moving so they can come inside.

Brittany sprints up the stairs and Rachel and Quinn follow after her.

Brittany walks into Rachel's room and sees Santana lying on the bed. She lets out a breath of relief, seeing her. She's clearly drunk but at least she's unharmed and safe. "Santana," She says carefully. She approaches the bed and Santana looks up at her.

"Brittany!" Santana shouts. She jumps up off the bed and flings herself at the girl, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Brittany seems confused, but she hugs her back. "No! Why are you here!" Santana suddenly shouts, pulling herself away from Brittany. She back peddles to the head of the bed, and pushes herself into the headboard.

Quinn and Rachel walk in at that moment, and Brittany gives Rachel a confused look. The jewish girl just shrugs. She doesn't understand Santana's drunken mood swings either.

"Guys, could I talk to Santana alone?" Brittany asks giving Quinn and Rachel pleading looks. They both nod and walk out of Rachel's bedroom. "Hey," Brittany says quietly directing her attention back to Santana. She walks over to the bed and crawls on it, sitting at the foot, facing Santana. She has so many things to say to Santana, so many things to ask her, but all that comes out is a sob. She doesn't want to cry right now, but she can't help it.

Santana looks a little taken back. She glances around the room, trying to decide on what to do. She's mad at Brittany. Wait, why is mad at her again? Maybe she's not? "Don't cry." Santana says a little too commandingly. But tears start forming in her own eyes as she watches the blonde sob in front of her. "Don't cry." She says again. This time her voice breaks and a sob escapes her own lips.

Brittany looks up at Santana, hearing her start to cry. She hesitantly crawls towards the Latina and takes it as a good sign when Santana doesn't move away from her. "Santana, you scared me." She says honestly, tears still falling from her eyes. She pulls Santana up by her shirt, and pulls her into another hug. "Don't ever do that again." She says sternly, warping her arms tightly around Santana.

"I'm sorry," Santana sobs, wrapping her arms just as tightly around Brittany. "Please don't cry," She chokes out as another sob rips from her own throat.

It makes Brittany chuckle slightly and she pulls back. "Santana," She says, her eyes lowering.

Santana knows they're about to have a serious conversation. It makes her stomach feel unsettled and she pulls completely away form the blonde. She sits back against the headboard and pulls her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Santana, if you don't want to be with me then I understand." Brittany says, giving Santana a week smile. "Please don't think you have to run away. " Brittany says desperately. "I need you, and if it's just as a friend then I'll take it." She admits honestly. "Please don't leave me again."

"I do want to be with you." Santana says, making Brittany's eyes snap back up to hers. "I want to be with you so bad." She admits, and the raw honestly in her voice makes more tears form in Brittany's eyes. "But I can't." She whispers, shaking her head.

Brittany frowns and moves closer to Santana. "Why?" She asks desperately. She reaches out for Santana's hand, but Santana just clings onto her own hand with her other, not letting Brittany take it. Brittany's shoulders deflate.

"I already told you," Santana says, her voice growing frustrated. "Brittany, I'm a fuck up." She says. She sounds so honest, like she truly believes it and that makes Brittany's heart break.

"Santana you are not a fuck up." She says firmly. She situates herself on her shins, directly in front of Santana. She places both of her hands over Santana's. "You have been through a lot in your life, and you haven't deserved any of it." Brittany tells her. "But for some fucked up reason, it happened to you. It doesn't mean _you_ are a fuck up though." Brittany says, desperately trying to get her to believe it. "You just need some help getting past it."

Santana pushes Brittany's hands off of her own, and stands up off the bed, so fast it makes Brittany jump. "God, Brittany, I'm not something you can fix!" She shouts as she begins pacing the room. "All this talk about me needing help, and me getting better, it's not going to happen!" She yells, stopping to look at Brittany.

The blonde bites down on her lip and slowly climbs off the bed. "It _can_ happen." Brittany assure her. "But for some reason you refuse to try." Brittany says, her own anger starting to flare up. "Do you even want to get better? Do you seriously enjoy living like this?" She asks, frustrated.

"Of course, I don't like living like this!" Santana retorts, folding her arms over her chest. "I hate my life every fucking day!" She says honestly, holding herself tighter.

Brittany is taken back by her admission. She knew Santana was hurting, but she had no idea it was this bad. She feels stupid for missing it. She should have seen Santana was hurting so much. She should have been there to help her, instead of pressuring her into other things. She's a selfish bitch. "Santana," Brittany breaths out, her eyes moving to the floor as she searches for her words. She doesn't even know what to say.

She walks over to Santana, standing directly in front her. Santana just holds herself tighter and averts her gaze to the floor, tears still falling from her eyes.

"Santana, you deserve to be happy." Brittany tells her. She reaches out, placing a gentle hand on Santana's shoulder. The Latina flenches slightly, but she doesn't push her away. "But you don't believe that." Brittany states rather than asks. It's like she's just know realizing how Santana feels. She thinks she's deserved everything the world has done to her and she should just get used to being treating that way.

Santana doesn't respond. She shrugs Brittany's hand off, and turns her back towards her.

Brittany takes a bold step forward and wraps her arms gently around Santana's waist. When she feels Santana try and pull away, Brittany just holds on tighter. "You make me happier than I've ever been Santana." She tells her honestly. Santana is still slightly stiff in her arms, but she hasn't pulled away. "I'm serious Santana, you make me so _damn_ happy, and you deserve all of that happiness back and more." She tells her, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I need you to believe that."

"You make me happy," Santana replies quietly. "You're the only reason I'm…" She says, but stops herself. "You make me happy Brittany." She repeats, turning in the blonde's arms.

Brittany smiles gently at her. "Let's go home." She says, and Santana nods.

o0o0o

Santana and Brittany walk downstairs and see Rachel and Quinn sitting in the living room. "Everything okay?" Rachel asks, standing up once the girls get into the room. She glances over at Santana, wanting to make sure she is alright.

"Everything is fine." Santana assures her.

"Rachel made some tea, do you guys want some?" Quinn asks from beside Rachel.

Brittany looks over to Santana who shrugs and nods her head. "Sure," Brittany answers with a smile. She sits down on the couch and Santana sits down next to her as Quinn gets them some tea.

Rachel sits on the chair next to the couch and looks around awkwardly. She's never really hung out with these girls. Other than Glee related things of course. She isn't really sure what she should do, but she of course wants to be a good host.

"So Rachel, how did Santana end up here anyway?" Brittany asks curiously, looking between Santana and Rachel.

_Santana is stumbling around the park. She isn't sure what time it is, but she knows it's early. It's starting to get light outside, so it's close to being morning. She's got a bottle of cheap tequila in her hand as she stumbles through the gates. There isn't anyone around thankfully, so she doesn't have to deal with disapproving looks. Not that she'd care anyway. _

_She looks around, her eyes squinting. She searches for the playground she always escapes to and sees it far away in the back corner of the park. God, it seems so far away. She groans and takes another sip of her drink, before taking another step, beginning her journey to the playground. _

_As she's making her way over, she sees a figure coming towards her. It's running pretty fast and she squints her eyes trying to make it out. But she can't, the figure just keeps getting blurrier and blurrier. "Don't come any closer!" She mumbles, putting her hand out in front of her. _

_The figure comes closer and Santana stumbles, "Whoa, watch it!" She slurs, almost falling to the ground as if the person ran into her. They were still a few feet away from her. _

_"Santana?" Rachel asks, clearly confused to find Santana here this early. Her eyes grow wide when she notices the half empty bottle in her hand. "Oh my god." She gasps, her hand covering her mouth. She reaches out for Santana who is still trying to catch her balance, and steadies her. _

_"How do you know my name?" Santana asks accusingly. "Are you stalking me?" _

_Rachel's brows furrow and she keeps a grip on Santana's arm. "Santana, what are you doing here? And why are you drunk?" She asks, yanking the bottle from Santana's reach. _

_Santana whines and tries to snatch it back, but ends up falling over her own feet. If Rachel didn't still have a grip on her arm, she would have definitely fallen face first into the dirt. "Rachel." Santana says, a smile growing on her face as she realizes who it is. She forgets all about her bottle of Tequila and pulls the smaller girl into a hug. _

_It startles Rachel, but she hugs back. A little awkwardly, sure, but she hugs back. "Santana what's going on?" Rachel asks puling away. "Are you alright?" She asks looking the girl up and down. She's clearly not alright. _

_"I'm great," Santana exclaims throwing a fist in the air. "I was I was trying to get over there," She says slinging her arm towards the playground. "But it's so far," She drawls out dramatically. _

_"Why are you trying to get over there? Why are you even out this early?" Rachel asks, trying to understand what is going on. She isn't quite sure what to do right now, but she knows she can't leave Santana like this. _

_Santana just shrugs, and looks down at the ground. She sways slightly in her spot and her brows furrow. _

_"Are you okay?" Rachel asks, placing a hand on Santana's shoulder. Santana looks like she's struggling to say something but then she bends over, and pukes right in front of Rachel's feet. "Oh god!" Rachel shrieks, jumping back. That probably wasn't the best idea though, because it causes Santana to stumble and almost fall in her own vomit. "Santana!" Rachel shouts, catching the girl, before she can fall. _

_"I…I just threw up." Santana states, staring down at her vomit. _

_Rachel's brows rise and she just nods. "Yeah," She breaths out. She wraps an arm around Santana, setting the bottle of Tequila down on the ground. "Let's get you home." She tells her, guiding her out of the park. _

_"Not Brittany's," Santana mumbles, shaking her head furiously. "Oh, I'm dizzy." She says, pausing to regain herself. _

_Rachel stands with her until Santana's dizziness passes, and they continue walking. "Okay, we can go to my house." She assures her. She doesn't know why Santana doesn't want to go to Brittany's house, but she doesn't want to argue with her right now. She'll just get her to her house and call Brittany. _

_Santana smiles and puts her arm around Rachel's waist as they continue walking down the sidewalk. "You're pretty." Santana mumbles with a smile, her finger twirling in Rachel's hair. _

_Rachel blushes and lets out an awkward giggle. She isn't used to compliments like that. "Thank you," She says shyly. "You're pretty too," She tells Santana with a smile. _

_Santana giggles, but then she frowns. Her hand drops from Rachel's hair, but she keeps the one securely around her waist. "Stop hitting on me," Santana slurs, "I'm taken." She adds with a hiccup and then a giggle._

_Rachel looks a little confused, but she just shakes her head and chuckles. "Puck?" She asks, her voice taking on that knowing tone. The same Ashley and Susan had used when they saw Puck at the front door. _

_"No not Puck!" Santana says, sounding almost offended at the thought. "Someone awesome." She says as she loses her balance and trips slightly. _

_Rachel pulls her back up though, and they continue walking. She doesn't ask anymore about it. _

_o0o00o_

_Rachel guides Santana into her room and sits her down on her bed. "Stay right here alright?" Rachel says. She holds onto Santana's arms for a brief second before letting go, making sure she is steady and won't fall off the bed. _

_She walks into her bathroom and comes back out a few seconds later with a wet towel. She walks back over to Santana and brings it to the girls mouth, trying to clean around her mouth. Santana whines and pulls away just like a child would, and Rachel rolls her eyes, but continues cleaning her face. _

_Rachel takes the towel over to her hamper and when she turns around, she sees Santana shamelessly checking her out. It makes her face heat up, and she averts her eyes and clears her throat. She's suddenly a little self conscious in her short running shorts and sports bra. She always going running early in the morning and never sees anyone, so she is able to wear what she wants without feeling uncomfortable. But now with Santana checking out every inch of her body she can't help but feel fat and ugly. _

_"I'm just going to change real quick." Rachel says, pulling some clothes out of her dresser. "I'll be right back." She assures Santana before disappearing into the bathroom. _

_When she walks back out a couple of minutes later, she sees Santana passed out on her bed. She can't help but smile, and walks over to her. She leans down and pulls Santana's shoes off and the girl lets out a grumbling noise, but she doesn't wake up. _

"I let her sleep for an hour of so before I called you." Rachel shrugs. "She seemed really upset, and I wasn't sure what to do." Rachel adds a little unsure. She doesn't want Brittany to be mad at her for not calling right away, but she didn't know what was going on between them. Santana had clearly not wanted anything to do with Brittany when she found her.

Brittany smiles at Rachel and takes a sip from her tea Quinn had brought her. "I'm just glad you found her, and not some maniac." Brittany says relieved.

Santana sets down her empty glass of tea and lies her head on Brittany's shoulder with a sigh. "Can we go home?" she asks, her eyes slipping closed.

"Yeah," Brittany nods with a smile.

o0o0o

Brittany drops Quinn back off at her house and heads back towards her own home. She turns to Santana in the passenger seat who has her head resting against the window with her eyes closed. But Brittany knows she's not asleep. "So you think Rachel is pretty?" Brittany asks with a smirk.

Santana groans and pushes her palms into her eyes. "I was drunk." She retorts.

Brittany just giggles, "It's okay to think other people are pretty Tana," Brittany assures her. Sure it made her slightly jealous to hear it. But for one, they aren't together and two, she's not one of those delusional girls who assumes that everyone when in a relationship just automatically becomes unattractive to the person she is with.

"I just hope she doesn't think I have like some lesbian crush on her or something." Santana says with a frown. "Or that I'm a lesbian at all." She adds, shifting in her seat.

Brittany reaches over and places a hand on Santana's thigh, "Honey, her dads are gay. She won't care." Brittany assures her.

Santana shrugs, "That's not the point." She says, although she really isn't sure what the point is. She just doesn't want people knowing.

"Okay." Brittany says with a frown. She pulls her hand back and puts it on the steering wheel, deciding to not even comment on the part of the story where Santana had said she was taken. She was curious obviously, but she knows it'll probably just upset Santana even more if she brings it up right now.

Brittany wants more than anything for Santana to be proud and comfortable with who she is. It hurts her to know how ashamed Santana is of being gay. But Brittany is determined, now more than ever to help Santana. Not with just that, but with everything. She's going to help her get better, if it kills her.

**A/N: **Let me know what you think please? (:

o0h3ath3rmich3ll30o. tumblr. com


	13. Chapter 13

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Chapter 13

A/N: Thank you guys as always for the feedback! You're awesome! (:

Enjoy:

**What we know so far:**

5- Santana was abandoned when she was 5 and lived with Brittany until she was 7.

7-When she was 7 she was adopted by a family who was not able to get pregnant.

9-Santana was in her room with wounds on her legs and she had a baby sister.

12-When she was 12 she ran away from her adoptive family and showed up at Brittany's with bruises. She only stayed one night and Brittany wasn't allowed to tell anyone and they had their first real kiss.

14-When she was 14 she told her foster brother she thought she was gay and he got upset.

17- Brittany finds her in the park once again and she has a black eye. She comes to live with them

Santana drops her head against the window of Brittany's car as they drive back to the house. She fights closing her eyes and falling asleep right there in the passenger seat. She hasn't slept since the night before and it's safe to say she is exhausted. And still possibly a little tipsy.

She watches the houses and trees pass by them as they drive in silence. She sees the turn off for their street approaching and she lets out a small sigh of relief. She just really wants to go fall into bed and sleep the day away. However, they pass the turn and Santana looks over at Brittany confused. "Where are we going?" She asks hesitantly.

Brittany looks over at her, "Coffee." She says simply. "You can't go home like this, mom will kill you." Brittany says matter of fact. "You need to sober up."

Santana sighs, but lets her head fall back against the window with a thud. She really wants to go home and sleep, but she agrees with Brittany. She doesn't want to do anything that would upset Susan. She's being so awesome by letting her stay with them, she doesn't want to ruin it by going home drunk.

They pull into the coffee house parking lot and Santana lazily climbs out of the car. She follows Brittany inside and lets the blonde order for her. Brittany knows her order by now and to be honest she doesn't really care what she drinks. She just needs some kind of caffeine in her now.

She follows Brittany to a table and sits down across from her. She takes a sip of the drink Brittany hands her and hums loudly in approval. "So I talked to Puck. You should probably give him a call." Brittany tells her. "He was pretty worried about you," She explains.

Santana nods slightly and shrugs her shoulders as she takes another sip of her drink.

"I called him looking for you," Brittany continues seeing that Santana wasn't gong to ask about it. "He told me you guys hung out last night." She says, watching Santana carefully.

Santana nods her head and looks at Brittany with tired eyes. "Okay, so?" She asks confused.

Brittany sighs and bites down on her lip. Her eyes move down to the table as she considers if she should bring the subject up. She of course wants to and she knows that she needs to, but she isn't sure now is a good time, or how to. "He told me what you guys did, and what you _do_ on a daily basis." She admits, looking back up at Santana to gauge her reaction.

Santana just looks confused. "What are you talking about?" She asks, choosing to play dumb until Brittany actually comes out with it. Why bring something up that Brittany may not even be talking about. Although she knows what Brittany is talking about.

"_Weed_, Santana," Brittany says giving her a knowing look. "You guys smoke weed like every day." She says a little exasperated by it all.

Santana's eyes widen slightly and she leans in towards Brittany, "Lower your voice." She says, her eyes darting around the coffee house.

Brittany look around also and notices a few people looking at them. She smiles awkwardly at them before turning her attention back to Santana. "How can you do that? It's illegal!" Brittany whispers, although it feels a lot like yelling to Santana.

"It's only illegal because of stupid reasons like taxes and stuff." Santana shrugs off. "It's actually better for you than alcohol and tobacco." She excuses, taking another sip of her coffee. "It's not a big deal."

Brittany's eyes widen and she feels like she wants to jump across the table and shake Santana. "It's a huge deal!" Brittany yells, still keeping her voice low. Santana just rolls her eyes. "Santana…" Brittany says, this time her voice turning more sympathetic. "I'm sorry," She apologizes, "I know you're hurting and drugs and alcohol is your way of dealing with things." She says with a sigh.

Santana bites down on her lip but doesn't respond. It's true so she doesn't really have anything to say in response. Brittany knows it's true no matter what she says, so there is no point in denying it either.

"I really think you need to go to therapy Santana," Brittany admits with a sigh. Her eyes are boring into the brunette's.

Santana shakes her head and she fights the tears that are stinging the backs of her eyes. She doesn't know why she's getting so emotional. Maybe it's because she is sleep deprived, or because there is still a small trace of alcohol in her system. "No." She finally says.

Brittany can see the fear in Santana's eyes. She knows Santana doesn't want to do this, but she really thinks it could help. Even if it doesn't, she doesn't think it could make things worse. "Santana it can help you." Brittany tells her. Her eyes are pleading. She wants Santana to do this, no she _needs_ her to. "Please, just…If you won't go for you then go for me. You can't continue living like this. You're hurting yourself."

"Brittany, you promised I wouldn't have to," Santana says desperately, the tears now noticeably forming in her eyes as she shakes her head back and forth furiously. "I'm not going." She says sternly.

Santana stands up, but Brittany grabs her wrist before she can storm out of the coffee house. She pulls Santana back to her and looks up into her eyes. "I'm sorry," She says sincerely. "I'm sorry, you don't have to if you don't want to." She tells her, tugging on her arm, trying to get her to sit back down. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." Brittany promises.

Biting her lip, Santana hesitantly sits back down across from Brittany. She breaths in deeply and pushes the tears back. "I just don't want to go and tell some stranger all of my problems," Santana explains, "I don't think it will help me." She says, and her voice is so final, Brittany doesn't argue.

"Okay," Brittany says quietly.

"Can we just talk about something else now?" Santana asks hopefully. She hunches over her coffee, staring deeply down into it.

Brittany nods and looks down into her own coffee, not really sure what to talk about. She taps on the table with her fingers a few times before a small smirk forms on her lips. "I can't believe you actually think Rachel is hot." She says with a teasing grin.

Santana looks up at her, her brows furrowed. That wasn't what she was expecting Brittany to change the subject too. "Would you let it go?" Santana groans, sitting back in her chair. She can't help but crack a grin though. "I was wasted alright." She justifies.

"You think she's hot, don't deny it." Brittany says, shaking her head. Her teasing grin still planted on her face.

Santana rolls her eyes and sighs, "Fine, I think she's attractive." Santana surrenders with a huff. She folds her arms tightly across her chest, glaring over at Brittany for making her say it.

"Who else at school do you think is hot?" Brittany asks curiously. She obviously knows she isn't going to be the only girl Santana is attracted to. She's just curious as to who else Santana has looked at it. Santana doesn't like talking about being gay, but it's something Brittany has been wanting to talk to her about. She wants her to be comfortable enough to be herself in front of her and talk about these things.

Santana groans and buries her head in her hands. "Can we please not talk about this?" She pleads, peaking up at Brittany through her fingers. Brittany just pouts at her and Santana sighs. "I don't know," She says honestly with a shrug. She shifts in her seat and starts spinning her coffee cup, "I mean there are a lot of girls I think are attractive, but there is only one I want to be with," She admits honestly.

Brittany turns shy at the admission, not expecting Santana to say that. "Who is that?" She asks, trying to will the pink tint away from her cheeks. She can feel the tips of her ears burning and her heart flutters. She obviously hopes it's herself, but she doesn't want to be wrong and feel like an idiot.

"You know who." Santana says, rolling her eyes. She's not mad or annoyed, she's uncomfortable. She doesn't like getting all sappy like this. Brittany knows who she is talking about. Was it really necessary that she asks that question? "You," She finally says quietly, averting her eyes down into her coffee.

Brittany breaths out a laugh and nods her head. She sees Santana ease up and give her a small smile back. "I want you too," Brittany says as she reaches across the table and takes one of Santana's hands in her own.

Santana feels her stomach flip at the contact and she bites down on her lip, trying to hide the goofy grin that wants to erupt on her face. But then she's highly aware of where they are. Her eyes dart around the room and she quickly pulls her hand out of Brittany's grasp and lets it fall into her lap. She gives Brittany an apologetic smile, hoping she understands. "Not here," Santana says, shaking her head.

The disappointment on Brittany's face is obvious, but she smiles through it and nods her head. "You think you're good enough to face mom?" Brittany asks, already gathering her keys and purse to leave.

Santana nods, "Yes let's go home. I'm exhausted. I need sleep." She says standing up and following Brittany out of the coffee house.

o0o0o

As soon as the girls walk into the house, Santana is just about tackled by Susan. She gasps in surprise but puts her arms around the woman, hugging her back awkwardly. "Oh my god, I'm so glad you're okay." Susan exclaims. She pulls back and holds Santana at arm length, looking her up and down checking for any damage.

It's then that Santana notices Brittany's dad's presence. He's standing behind Susan smiling at them. It makes Santana feel awkward. Brian is a nice guy, but he's not around that often. He works a lot and honestly Santana tries to avoid him when he is home.

"Are you alright?" Susan asks, her hands patting Santana's arms and moving up to cup her face checking for any bodily harm.

Santana chuckles and pushes Susan's hands away from her. "I'm fine." She tells her honestly with a smile.

"Don't ever do that again!" Susan suddenly exclaims, causing Santana to jump slightly. "You scared me half to death." Susan tells her, her voice full of emotion.

"I'm sorry." Santana apologizes. She doesn't really know what else to say. She didn't mean to worry Susan, she really didn't. Honestly she was selfish and wasn't thinking about anyone when she left except herself. She was just overwhelmed and needed to escape. She honestly didn't think they'd all be this upset with her absence.

Brittany steps up next to Santana and puts her hand on the small of Santana's back. "Why don't you go and take a nap?" Brittany suggests.

Santana just about moans at the thought of a nap. She nods her head and smiles at Brittany appreciatively. She glances back over at Susan before excusing herself to go upstairs and take a much needed nap.

Once Santana is upstairs Susan turns to her daughter. "Is she alright?" Susan asks worriedly.

Brittany sighs and shakes her head. "No, but she hasn't been for awhile now." Brittany admits defeatedly. "I talked to her about therapy again, but she freaked out and said no." Brittany informs her with a sigh. "I don't know what else to do. She refuses to talk, or do anything that could help her." Brittany says desperately. She wants to help Santana so much, but she has no idea what she can do. There isn't much she can do when Santana is willing to be helped.

Susan nods her head, "I'm going to talk to her when she wakes up." She tells her. "We'll figure something out." She assures Brittany. She puts a comforting hand on her daughters shoulder and gives her an encouraging smile. "We all want to help her and we aren't giving up until we do." Susan says with determination.

Brian comes up beside her and puts his arm around his wife. "I agree." He says, nodding his head.

Brittany smiles and hugs them both, thanking them.

"I need to get to a meeting." Brian says, pulling away from both girls. Susan frowns at him and he leans in and kisses her. "I promise it won't be long." He assures her. He pulls Brittany into him and kisses her forehead, before walking out the front door.

Brittany walks around the couch and falls onto it with a heavy sigh. Susan follows her, and sits down next to her. "So what about you and Santana? Did you guys work it out?" Susan asks hesitantly.

Brittany shakes her head, "We didn't really talk about it." She says. "I think we're just going to take it slow and see what happens." She answers with a shrug. "Santana isn't ready to be out, she's actually very deep in the closet." Brittany says, her voice sounding slightly frustrated.

Susan puts her hand on Brittany's leg and gives it a squeeze. "Slow is good." Susan agrees with a nod. "Don't rush her or pressure her. It's the last thing she needs right now." Susan says honestly.

"I know," Brittany says, nodding her head.

o0o0o

Santana walks down the stairs later that afternoon, stretching her arms up above her head. She feels refreshed and so much better even if she did only sleep for a little over an hour.

She sees Susan sitting down on the couch, "Where is Britt?" She asks curiously. She'd checked the blonde's room before coming downstairs but there was no sign of her. She's obviously not out with Artie so she's out of options. _Well_ she hopes she isn't out with Artie anyway.

"She went to the dance studio to practice." Susan tells her, making Santana nod.

She frowns a little because she likes going with Brittany to the dance studio. She doesn't go very often, because she's so busy with Cheerio's. But when she does get the chance to go, Santana loves to go and watch her. She's magical when she dances.

Santana lets out a sigh and plops down on the couch next to Susan. "I'm assuming you want to talk to me." Santana says, before waiting on Susan to ask her. She doesn't really feel like talking, but she never does. She's realized she should just get it over with.

"I just want to make sure you're okay." Susan says, turning her full attention to Santana. She places the book she'd been reading down on the coffee table and turns her body to the girl. Santana just simply nods at the question and shrugs slightly. "Santana, you ran away, you're obviously not fine." Susan says with a small sigh.

Santana bites down on her bottom lip and looks down at her lap. "I wasn't running away." She says quietly. She's not sure if that's a lie or not. She had just needed to get out of the house so she fled. She wasn't sure if she was planning on coming back or not. "I just needed some space."

"Okay well there was a reason for you needing space, so something is going on." Susan says matter of fact. Again, she doesn't want to pry, but she's been to fluid with Santana. She's not going to be to harsh, but she's going to push a little further than she had been. She wants to help Santana and she wants her to talk to her and open up. If not to her than to someone.

Santana just shrugs, keeping her eyes focused on her lap. Her fingers start playing with the hem of her T-shirt, distracting herself from the conversation with Susan.

"Brittany told me what happened between you guys." Susan admits gently. She ducks her head trying to catch Santana's eyes, gauging her reaction. But Santana keeps quiet. "Honey, I want you to know that I completely accept you and your relationship if you were to date." Susan tells her honestly. She reaches out and places her hand gently on Santana's leg, trying to get her attention.

"I'm not gay." Santana says, her head snapping up. Her brows furrow and she looks a bit angry, but mostly afraid.

Susan sighs, "Okay, well gay or not, I want you to know I support you and your relationship with Brittany," She says, giving Santana's leg a squeeze. "There is nothing wrong with being gay though," Susan tells her, trying once again to duck her head and find Santana's eyes. She wants her to know she's serious.

"Not everyone feels that way." Santana mumbles, folding her arms tightly across her chest. She pulls her legs up and brings them to her chest, basically curling into herself.

Susan nods her head, agreeing with Santana's statement. "Those people don't matter." She says firmly. "The only people that matter are the ones you love. And if they truly love you then they'll be okay with it." She tells her honestly. "Just ignore the rest."

Santana squeezes her eyes shut, trying to hold the tears in her eyes. "You can't always ignore them." She whispers, her voice cracking. "I can't let anything happen to Brittany." She says honestly.

"Honey, you won't hurt Brittany." Susan tells her, scooting closer to the brunette. Sensing the girls distress she reaches out and puts her arm around Santana. She tenses slightly under the touch as always but Susan doesn't pull away.

"I'm not worried about me hurting her." Santana says as a tear slips down her cheek. Honestly, she is worried about that too, but it's not one of her main concerns. She doesn't want other people hurting her. She's aware that there are a lot of people out there who are against homosexuality. Not all of them just give disgusting looks, some do worse. "I don't want someone else hurting her because of me. Or us." Santana explains.

Susan clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth and ponders Santana's words. That was one of Susan's fears for Brittany when she'd first told her she was into girls also. She was completely okay with it, but she was a little fearful of how Brittany would be treated by other people because of it. But she never wanted Brittany to have to not embrace that part of herself out of fear, and she doesn't want Santana to do that either. But obviously Santana is terrified of other people knowing. "Have you told anyone before us?" Susan asks curiously.

Santana nods her head subtly. "Just one other person." She admits quietly. "But I don't want to talk about it." She adds, before Susan can even ask her.

"Well, I assume that it didn't go well." Susan says. Santana doesn't respond and she knows the answer. "Okay well Santana, there will be people who don't accept it, but there will be so many more people who do." She explains. "The ones who don't care are going to be the ones who really love you and who's opinion matter." She says softly. She leans down and places a gentle kiss on the top of Santana's head. "I just want you to know that if you decide to be with my daughter, I support you guys." Susan tells her honestly and warmly. "Don't live your life by others or let fear rule it."

Santana pulls away from Susan slightly and sniffles, "You'd really be okay if me and Brittany dated?" She asks to be sure. She doesn't want to do anything that would upset Susan or her husband. She's so grateful for them letting her live with them, and she doesn't want to risk getting kicked out.

"Of course I would." She tells her with a smile. "I think you guys are perfect for one another." She says honestly. "I've been prepared," She says with a grin, confusing Santana. "You told me you were going to marry Brittany when you were 6." She says with a chuckle.

Santana's face turns red and she looks away from Susan in embarrassment. "Did I really?" She asks, biting down on her lip.

Susan chuckles again and nods her head. "Yup," She confirms with a firm nod. Santana's face turns even redder, but she can't help but smile. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Susan asks once her laughing had subsided.

"No," Santana says, shaking her head.

"Have you thought anymore about therapy?" Susan asks hesitantly. She knows it's a touchy subject and it normally just makes Santana upset, but she needs to know. She's not going to push Santana into going, but she'd really like for her to go.

Santana sighs and nods her head. "I want to do it." She says firmly, shocking Susan.

Susan's eyes widen and she looks down at the girl surprised. "You do?" She asks, not quite sure if she'd heard her right.

"Yeah," Santana says, nodding again. "I've been thinking a lot about it and I need to do it. I need to be better for Brittany." She explains, swallowing hard. She's terrified to go, but it's something she has to do. If she ever wants to be with Brittany and make her truly happy then she needs to move on from her past and let go of some of her baggage.

Susan can't contain her wide grin, "Great, I'll schedule an appointment as soon as they have an opening." She says, hugging Santana close to her. "I'm so proud of you." She says honestly. She knows this is hard for Santana and she's so proud that she'd decided to stand up to her fears and go get help. "You can just go to one meeting and decide from there if you want to continue." Susan informs her.

Santana nods in response, "Okay,"

Susan lets out a breath of relief and chuckles, "I had whole speech planned to try and convince you." She admits, making Santana crack a grin.

They sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before the front door opens. Santana turns her head to look and sees Brittany walk inside in her dance clothes, followed closely by her dad.

"Sorry we're a bit late," Brian apologizes. He leans down and places a kiss on the top of Susan's head. "Me and Britt decided to have a late lunch when she was done practicing." He informs her. "Hey Santana," He greets, looking down at the brunette next to his wife.

"Hey," Santana says quietly giving him a small smile.

Susan stands up from the couch and looks down at Santana, "Well since these two already ate, I guess it's just us. Do you want me to make you something?" She asks with a smile.

Brittany sits down on the couch next to Santana, their thighs touching. It sends a spark through Santana and she almost forgets Susan had asked her a question. "I can just make a sandwich, it's fine." Santana answers with a shrug, not wanting to put Susan through any trouble.

"Two sandwiches coming up." Susan confirms, before turning and heading for the kitchen, Brian following after her.

Santana opens her mouth to protest, but Brittany puts her hand on her leg silencing her. She turns to look at the blonde who just smiles warmly at her. "Did you get to sleep?" She asks concerned. She reaches out and brushes a stray piece of hair behind Santana's ear.

"Yeah," Santana replies simply.

"Are you feeling alright?" She asks, running her fingers through Santana's hair. She just can't seem to keep her hands off of Santana.

Santana nods and gives Brittany a small smile. "I'm fine." She affirms. "Me and your mom had a talk," She informs Brittany. "And I decided to go to therapy."

Brittany's eyes widen and she fights off the urge to tackle Santana out of happiness. "Really?" She asks, biting down on her lip, hiding the giant smile on her lips. She's trying to contain her excitement, but it's hard to do. This is great news. She'd been worrying about Santana a lot, and she's so happy she's finally going to try and get some help.

"Yeah," Santana confirms. "I did it for you. I want to be with you, but I don't know if I can do that right now. I'm carrying around a lot of baggage and I don't want it to get in the way of us." Santana explains honestly.

Brittany doesn't even try and hide her excitement anymore. She surges forward and wraps her arms around Santana's neck. "I'm so happy to hear that," She breaths into Santana's neck. "I'll be there for you every step of the way." She says, pulling back.

Santana smiles gratefully at the blonde in front of her. She leans in a bit, but pulls back, not sure if she should or not. But then she decides to just go for it and leans in again until her lips are pressed against Brittany's.

It's a short kiss, but it's perfect. When they pull away Brittany is beaming and it makes Santana smile as well as a light blush creeps up on her cheeks. Brittany reaches over and grabs Santana's hand, holding it with both of her own. "I'm so happy." Brittany gushes with a big grin.

Santana giggles and nods her head, "I am too." She says, her face turning serious. "I really am."

Brittany leans in to kiss Santana again, but just as she does, Santana sees Brian out of the corner of her eye. She pulls back abruptly as the man makes his way into the living room. He sits down in the recliner and flips the TV on to ESPN news.

Santana looks back at Brittany who has a small pout on her lips and she smiles apologetically.

Brittany smiles back, but not as brightly as she had been smiling earlier. She's still extremely happy though, because Santana is making great progress. Sure, every part of Brittany wants to shout out to the world that she is with Santana, but Santana isn't ready for that and Brittany has to respect that.

"I'm going to go and shower." She states, climbing off the couch. She ruffles Santana's hair playfully and sprints up the stairs to her bathroom.

Santana chuckles and reaches up to fix her hair. She frowns however when she realizes it's just her and Brian in the living room alone. She bites down on her lip and decides she wants to leave, but she doesn't want to be rude. She gets up off the couch and walks into the kitchen to see if Susan needs any help with the sandwiches.

When she walks in she almost collides with Susan who was coming out. "Oh, I was just coming to get you." She says with a smile. "Lunch is served." She says, gesturing over to the island that holds two plates with two sandwiches. There are also two glasses of juice.

"Thank you," Santana says gratefully as she makes her way over to the island. She pulls a stool out and sits down as Susan sits across from her.

They eat in a relative silence. The only few words uttered are about how she's doing in school and if she'd joined the Glee club. She actually had joined, but it was really just because she'd been going weekly anyway because Brittany was always her ride home after school. She still has no plans to actually sing other than in the background.

Once they're about finished, Brittany walks in, freshly showered in a pair of red shorts and a cheerio's t-shirt. She walks over to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water.

Santana doesn't have any control over her eyes as they shamelessly look up and down the blonde's body while her back is turned towards her. Brittany is definitely the hottest girl she's ever seen. Every time she looks at her, her heart skips a beat. It sounds cheesy and she never believed that actually happened, but it does. Her heart skips a beat and her brain fogs up to where she can't think of anything other than the blonde's beauty.

When Brittany turns around, Santana quickly snaps her eyes back to her sandwich. Thankfully the blonde hadn't seemed to notice. She takes a drink of her water and sits down next to her mother.

Santana looks up at Brittany as she sits and then her eyes land on Susan who is smirking at her.

Santana's face turns bright red and she quickly looks down. She'd been so focused on not being caught by Brittany, she hadn't even thought about Susan right in front of her. She'd obviously seen her openly ogling her daughter. "I need to go study for a test tomorrow." Santana mumbles, excusing herself from the kitchen.

She can feel her ears burning and her heat beating heavily in her chest from embarrassment. She doesn't look at either girl and walks as quickly out of the kitchen and upstairs to her room as she can.

Susan chuckles watching the brunette flee the scene and shakes her head. She takes another bite of her sandwich and feels Brittany's eyes on her. When she looks over she meets Brittany's confused gaze. "I caught her checking you out." Susan says with a smirk before taking another bite.

Brittany's face turns a light shade of pink as well. "Oh." She breaths out, averting her eyes down to the table, a small grin appearing on her face.

"We had a talk, and I told her that I'd be okay if the two of you date." Susan says, looking back over at her blushing daughter. She rolls her eyes and smiles, because there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Especially on Brittany's end.

Brittany looks up at her mother, her eyes wide, "Did she freak out?" She asks fearfully. She knows how deep in the closet Santana is. She doesn't want Santana to go even deeper in, beause Susan knows about them.

"A bit." Susan confirms with a shrug. "But I think she's okay now. You were right when you said she's not comfortable coming out right now, but I think she's okay that I know." Susan explains. "I actually think she's probably relieved." She says honestly.

Brittany smiles and stands up, walking behind her mother. She wraps both of her arms around her neck and rests her chin on her shoulder. "I hope she can accept herself soon." Brittany says with a sigh. "I really want to be with her."

"I don't think she'll last long." Susan assures her with a smile. "But, because of everything else, it's still a good idea to take things slow." She emphasizes once again.

"I know Mom." Brittany assures her, rolling her eyes. She loves her mom and she's grateful for her, but she doesn't have to keep repeating herself. She knows she can't rush Santana. She's okay with that. She'll wait for her for however long she has to.

**A/N:** As always let me know what you think! (:

Tumblr: o0h3ath3rmich3ll30o. tumblr


	14. Chapter 14

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you guys for all your support and review! (: I never got a chance to reply to everyone's reviews separately so I'm sorry about that! I was going to do it now, but I decided you guys would probably rather have me finish the update (: I'll reply to you guys this chapter though I promise!

Santana follows Quinn and Brittany into the lunch room, Monday afternoon. School is getting better for her as far as the staring and the whispering. People seem to have lost interest in her for the most part, which she is grateful for. Apparently some sophomore got pregnant and that's where everyones attention has moved to. Sucks for the pregnant girl, but she's glad the heat is off of her.

School itself is a lot harder than she'd thought it would be. She'd missed a lot of school before coming to stay with Brittany and trying to catch up has been a bitch. She's always loved school, and learning and she still does, but it's a lot harder than it used to be. She has to work twice as hard as everyone else just to try and get caught up with them.

She has her first therapy session today and the thought of that hasn't helped her stress during school today. She's been distracted all day, just thinking about the session. Every second that ticks by, she gets even more nervous. She just has to remind herself that she's doing this for Brittany. She's doing it so she can be with Brittany, or more so be what Brittany deserves. She already technically has Brittany, although they haven't labeled themselves.

She isn't interested in anyone but Brittany and she knows Brittany feels the same way. They kissed goodnight before they went to sleep last night. It was a short, but amazing lingering peck, just like the other kisses they'd shared. That doesn't necessarily mean they're girlfriends, but it obviously says they're more than friends.

A few minutes after she begins eating she sees Puck walking towards their table. She inwardly groans, knowing he is coming to talk to her. He'd been texting her all last night and this morning, and she hadn't responded.

"Hey guys." Puck greets the table, before his eyes land on Santana. "Santana could I maybe talk to you for a minute?" He asks, rubbing the pack of his neck with his hand.

Santana sighs and feels both Brittany and Quinn's eyes on her. As well as all the other Glee club members that are sitting with them. She looks up at Puck and gives him a small awkward smile. "I'm actually trying to eat right now," She explains with an uncomfortable shrug, motioning down to her salad.

His face falls and he glances back at Brittany who gives him an apologetic look. "Okay well I'll catch up to you later." He says with a slight shrug. He hesitates briefly, before turning on his heel and walking in the opposite direction.

Brittany watches Santana who just turns her attention back to her salad, ignoring everyone at the table. "Why are you avoiding him?" Brittany asks in a whisper, leaning closer to Santana.

Santana's eyes dart around the table to see if the others are listening, but they've picked up their conversation once again about sectionals. "I'm not." Santana answers with a shrug. "I just want to eat my lunch in peace." She adds, taking a small bite of lettuce.

"You've been dodging his calls since yesterday." Brittany points out.

Santana tries to form an excuse in her mind, but before she has to Quinn speaks up. "Are you dating Puck?" She asks, looking at Santana as nonchalant as possible.

"Quinn!" Brittany shouts, giving her an exasperated look. Didn't they already have this conversation at the park? Did she not believe her?

Quinn just looks at Brittany and shrugs, feigning innocence before turning her attention back to Santana, still waiting on her to answer the question.

Santana's face screws up in disgust. "No!" Santana answers quickly.

"Well he seems into you." Quinn pushes. She obviously doesn't sense both Brittany and Santana's growing uncomfortableness and annoyance.

Santana lets out an exasperated sigh and slams her fork down on the table. She snaps her head over to Quinn and glares at her. "I'm not dating him nor do I want to date him!" She yells angrily, startling the blonde slightly. "He's all yours alright?" She says before letting out a huff. She shakes her head and picks her fork back up, stabbing at the tomatoes on her plate.

Quinn shrinks back in her seat and hunches over her salad. "I'm sorry," She says quietly. "I didn't want to upset you, I was just curious." She explains remorsefully. She really hadn't meant to upset Santana, it just seemed as if something was going on between the two of them.

Brittany looks from a remorseful Quinn to Santana who still looks just as on edge as she was previously. Obviously Quinn's apology hadn't done anything. As much as it had annoyed Brittany that Quinn would ask Santana about Puck, she knew Quinn wasn't doing it to start anything.

It's no secret that Quinn is really into Puck. She also understands why Quinn would assume something is going on between the two of them. She'd think the same thing if she didn't know any better. She just wishes Quinn wasn't so nosey. But she doesn't know Santana well enough to know boundaries, or that Santana doesn't like talking about her personal life and gossip like most teenage girls do. "San, she wasn't trying to upset you." Brittany says softly, reaching out to place her hand gently on Santana's back.

"Yeah well she did." Santana snaps, before angrily biting a tomato off of her fork.

o0o0o0o

Santana walks out of her last class of the day and heads for the choir room. She'll never admit this to anyone but she's actually started to look forward to Glee club. She's still completely inactive and simply sways in the background and does other small choreography as instructed, but she's still growing to like it. She's also starting to like the people in the club.

They're all apparently known as the school's losers but they're all pretty cool people. She's been around the 'popular kids' because of Brittany, and to be honest she likes the Glee kids a lot more than the popular kids.

"Hey Santana!" A cheery voice calls from behind her.

Before Santana can turn around, Rachel is walking next to her, beaming at her. "Hey," Santana responds giving Rachel a weary look. "Whats up?" she asks cautiously. Rachel hardly ever approaches her at school. Actually she never does. The only times she semi talks to her is in Glee club or lunch. Plus, the fact that she hasn't seen or talked to Rachel since she found her completely wasted at the park, makes her a little uncomfortable.

"You're headed to the choir room now correct?" She asks, her bright smile, still stuck on her face. Santana just nods her head. "I just thought I'd walk with you." Rachel says with a small shrug.

Santana eyes her briefly, but doesn't say anything. She just continues walking next to a beaming Rachel until they reach the choir room. "You know Santana, I was thinking that maybe you could sing a part in one of our songs for sectionals." Rachel suggests as she takes a seat next to the Latina.

Santana's brows furrow and she shakes her head, "No," She says simply. "I'm okay in the back." She tells her with a reassuring smile, trying to convince her, she's completely okay not being in the spotlight.

"It's just, you have an amazing voice, and I think we should showcase it." She continues, "I mean, I obviously can't sing every song so we need other strong voices to step up." She explains with a small shrug. "I mean, I've tried convincing Mr. Shue to just let me sing all of the songs," She starts, using her hands as she speaks dramatically, "But Mr. Shue is adamant on letting others sing as well." She says with a small eye roll as if the idea is ridiculous.

Brittany walks into the choir room at that moment and Santana is distracted from Rachel's babbling. She smiles up at the blonde and waves back when Brittany gives her a wide grin and an enthusiastic wave.

"What's up guys?" Brittany asks, interrupting Rachel's lecture as she sits on the other side of Santana.

Santana smacks her lips together, "Rachel here is trying to talk me into singing at sectionals." Santana says gesturing to the small Diva next to her. "But as I told her, I'm completely fine in the background. I _prefer_ it actually." She admits, turning her attention back to Rachel to emphasize her point.

"You should totally do it!" Brittany exclaims with a wide eyes. "Tana, your voice is so pretty." Brittany says with a warm smile. "We'd win for sure." She adds with a firm nod.

Rachel smiles and nods her head, agreeing with Brittany. "Just think about it." Rachel says in that tone of voice, that says there is no room for discussion.

_Whatever_, she'll "think" about it. The answer is going to be no.

"How was the rest of your day?" Brittany asks, placing her binder under her chair. She sits back up in her chair and turns her body towards Santana, bringing one of her legs up into the chair, folded under her other.

Santana just shrugs, "Fine I guess." She lies. It wasn't any worse than usual, but it still wasn't good. She's still behind in all of her classes no matter how hard she studies. Thanks to the extra workload she has, trying to catch up. But Brittany doesn't have to know all of that.

"You've been a bit snappy today," Brittany says, making Santana's brows furrow. "Are you nervous about this afternoon?" Brittany asks, giving her a knowing look.

Santana bites her lip and nods her head. There is no point in denying that she's terrified about her therapy session. Brittany would know she's lying if she tries to say she isn't. "I'm not really sure why I'm nervous, but I am." She admits with a small shrug. "I mean it's not like it'll hurt me or anything. It's just some woman who is going to sit there and ask me questions." Santana explains.

Brittany nods her head and places her arm on the back of Santana's chair. She has to restrain herself from wrapping Santana up in her arms. "It's scary talking about personal stuff like that." Brittany answers softly. "It's understandable to be afraid."

Santana nods her head and gives Brittany a small smile, just as Mr. Shue comes strutting into the room.

o0o0o0o

Puck hesitantly walks towards Santana on the bleachers, during Cheerio's practice. He hasn't spoken to her since they hung out the night before she ran away. He isn't really sure if he had done something, but he's aware that she's obviously mad at him for some reason.

"Hey," He says softly, not wanting to startle her.

Santana turns her head in his direction and her shoulders drop. She should have expected him to show up here and try and talk to her. "Hey," She responds, pressing her lips into a thin line. She turns her gaze back onto the field, watching Brittany tumble across the field during a routine.

"I've been worried about you," Puck says, sitting down next to her. "I haven't heard from you since the other night, and you were pretty upset then." He explains, watching her for any kind of reaction.

"I'm fine." She says simply, not looking at him.

Puck sighs and moves his gaze out to the cheerleaders. He watches them for a few minutes, trying to come up with something in his head to say to Santana. "Did I do something wrong?" He finally asks, confused. He looks back over at her, brows furrowed. "I mean, I thought we were pretty cool, but lately you've been avoiding me."

Santana shifts in her seat, but doesn't tear her gaze away from Brittany. "I've been busy Puck, it's nothing personal." She answers simply.

Puck nods his head, acknowledging her reason, but he doesn't believe it for a second. She's been acting weird ever since that one time they hung out and he brought up Brittany. It all goes back to that one moment. "Look, if this is all because of you being into chicks, I'm totally cool with it." He says, not missing the way she tenses. Obviously he's spot on. "I think we could be totally awesome lesbros." He says with a smirk.

"Puck, I told you that I'm not gay." She says with a loud sigh. She runs her fingers through her hair, puling at a tangle when her fingers get caught.

"Why are you trying to hide who you are?" He asks confused. "I mean you were born that way right?" He asks, although he's not really looking for or expecting an answer. He knows the answer, "So why hide it? Embrace it." He tells her, turning his body towards her. "And plus it's totally hot." He adds with a smirk.

Santana rolls her eyes and can't help but crack a grin when she looks at him. "You know you're being a hypocrite right now." Santana tells him, giving him a pointed look.

Puck looks confused and his eyes widen slightly. "I'm not gay." He tells her, shaking his head. He can't help but wonder if he's done something to give her that assumption. "I mean not that there is anything wrong with it, it's just that I'm not." He explains with a shrug.

Santana laughs at his uneasiness, "I know you aren't gay." She says, watching his shoulders drop in relief. "But you are hiding a part of yourself." She says accusingly. "You can be a really sweet guy, but you act like a complete jerk." She explains.

Puck sighs and drops his head. "I guess you're right." He says, knowing he can't argue. "How about if you stop hiding who you are then I stop hiding who I am?" He tries compromising.

Santana raises a brow at him, "You really think it's that easy?" She asks warily. She knows that just because they come to this agreement, she's not suddenly going to stop being afraid to come out. She also is pretty sure he won't suddenly stop being a jerk and show his soft side.

"No," He says with a chuckle. "But I'm willing to try if you are." He says with a shrug. He puts his hand out in front of her to shake on it.

Santana stares at his hand, biting down on her lip. "I'll try," She says with a sigh, grasping his hand with hers, "But no promises." She adds sternly.

He pulls his hand back and puts both hands up surrendering. "That's fine, no promises on my end either." He says. "Hey, you wanna go smoke?" He asks, already standing up, figuring she'll say yes like always.

"I can't today." She says, confusing him. He sits back down and looks at her with furrowed brows. "I have this thing after practice and I can't go in high." She says, folding her arms tightly across her chest. She wants more than anything to smoke right now, but she knows she'll get into big trouble going in like that.

Puck gives her a curious look, but doesn't bother asking her where she is going. "How about a cigarette then?" He asks pulling out a back of Camel Crush. "It'll help you relax a bit." he says with a shrug. Sure it's not weed, but it could help slightly.

Santana shrugs and stands up, making her way down the bleachers. Even though cigarette's aren't illegal, she doesn't want anyone to see her smoking them. Well, technically it is illegal since she's still only 17.

o0o0o0o

After practice, Puck heads in the opposite direction of Santana as she goes down to the gate to meet Brittany. "You were awesome as usual." Santana tells her with a smile. She fights the urge to lean in and kiss Brittany, because all of the other cheerio's are still lingering. Ever since her and Brittany kissed, it's all Santana wants to do.

"Have you been smoking?" Brittany asks, wrinkling her nose. she leans forward a bit, taking in a whiff of Santana's scent and grimaces at the smell of cigarette's.

Santana takes a subtle step back and shrugs awkwardly, "It's better than weed right?" She asks with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood. But Brittany doesn't find it funny.

"Come on, we have to get going." Brittany says, changing the subject. She knows chastising Santana isn't going to do any good. But to answer her question, _no_ cigarettes aren't better than weed.

The ride to the therapists office is completely silent. Brittany can feel the nerves radiating off of Santana and it makes herself nervous. She hates that Santana has to do this, but she hates even more _why_ Santana has to do this. Santana is the most amazing person she knows, and she hasn't deserved anything life has given her. Nothing except herself. Honestly, Brittany doesn't know if _she_ deserves _Santana_.

She reaches forward and turns the radio on, hoping it could help calm Santana's nerves. The silence couldn't possibly be doing anything good. It was making herself go crazy, so she knew it had to have been making Santana just as antsy.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go in with you?" Brittany asks, turning to the brunette after she parks the car in front of the building. "I mean, it's really no problem." She adds quickly, hoping Santana will change her mind. She knows she can't go into the session, but she could at least sit in the waiting room. That way Santana knows she is out there if she needs her.

Santana shakes her head, "You'll just be bored." She reasons. "Just be back in an hour?" She asks, looking up at the blonde.

Santana looks more scared and vulnerable right now then Brittany has ever seen her and it breaks her heart. She reaches out for Santana's hands, not sure if it's more to comfort Santana or herself. She grips onto them and can feel the shakiness and the sweat coving the Latina's palms. It makes her hold them even tighter. "Of course I'll be here." She assures her.

"Thank you," Santana responds, her voice cracking a bit. She leans forward and presses her lips against Brittany's firmly, and for those brief few seconds, her nerves seem to disappear.

However when Santana starts to pull back, Brittany leans in, catching her lips again. She brings one of her hands up to the back of Santana's neck, holding her there. "It'll be okay." Brittany tells her, pulling back just enough to rest her forehead against Santana's. "But if you want to leave early just call me," She says, firmly, letting her know it's completely okay.

Santana nods and places another quick kiss to Brittany's lips before pulling back completely. "Il'l see you in an hour," She says, trying to keep her voice steady. She hasn't even started the session and she already wants to cry. _Lame_.

Brittany nods and gives her a reassuring smile as she watches Santana climb out of the car. She watches until Santana is inside the building and then she waits a few extra minutes just to make sure Santana doesn't change her mind and turn around and walk out.

After 5 minutes, Brittany realizes she isn;t coming back so she puts her car into Park and pulls away from the building. She decides to stop at the store around the corner and pick up a few things for Santana. She gets her favorite soda, Pibb Extra and then heads for the candy isle.

She picks out a few of Santana's favorites: Reese's Fastbreak, a handful of pink and green jolly ranchers, some starburst and two ring pops. A pink one for Santana and a blue one for herself. Although Santana will never admit to liking pink because it's "too girly", Brittany knows it is her favorite.

Once she gets back into her car, she realizes Santana still has 30 minutes left of her session. She checks her cell phone just to make sure Santana hasn't called or messaged her, but she hasn't. That's a good sign right?

Brittany sighs and leans back in her seat, deciding what she can do next. Santana was probably right about her not needing to sit in the lobby while she was in her session. She's a bundle or nerves, and sitting in that quiet room would probably only amp up her anxiety. She needs to do something that'll take her mind off of it, and make the time go by.

She spots a redbox outside of the store she came out of and decides to pick out a movie for her and Santana to watch when they get back home. Scrolling through the lists, she doesn't see anything that looks very appealing. Or maybe it's just because of her mood.

Finally she decides on Madagascar 3, figuring they need something light and funny. Everything else seemed to dark or dramatic.

When she gets back into her car this time, she decides to just head back to the therapists office and wait for Santana in the parking lot. She's out of things she can do while waiting, and honestly she just wants to already be there in case Santana gets out early. She doesn't want her waiting on her.

So she parks her car where she can see the door and starts messing with the radio trying to find a good song. She finds an Adele song and smiles, sitting back in her seat. She cant' help but think how sexy Santana would sound, singing an Adele song. Or _any_ song for that matter.

A few minutes after the hour and a few bad attempts at temple run, she spots Santana walking out of the building. She has her arms crossed tightly across her chest and she's looking around. Brittany quickly puts her car in reverse and pulls out of her parking spot, driving over to the front door to get Santana.

As soon as she pulls up next to her she sees the tears in Santana's eyes along with her puffy nose and cheeks. It breaks her heart and she puts the car in park and jumps out. "Hey," She greets, making her way around the car.

She pulls Santana into a tight hug, wrapping her arms securely around the brunette's waist. Santana buries her face in Brittany's neck, and just sniffles in response, wrapping her arms around Brittany's neck.

"It's alright," Brittany soothes, bringing one hand up to caress the back of Santana's head.

"Can we go home?" Santana asks, her voice scratchy from all the crying.

Brittany nods and pulls back. "Of course," She says, pulling Santana's hand, guiding her to the car. She opens the passenger door for her and helps her in.

When she gets into the drivers seat she turns to Santana who is curled up in her seat leaning against the window. "Do you want anything to eat or anything at all before we go home?" Brittany asks anxiously. Santana just shakes her head so Brittany drives them in the direction of their house. "Oh! I got you some stuff," She says, pulling the plastic bag of candy up from the floorboard.

Santana takes the bag and looks inside. A small smile appears on her face and she looks over at the blonde, "Thank you," She whispers affectionately. She reaches out and laces her fingers with Brittany's hand that was resting on the gear shift.

She uses her other hand to dig through the bag, pulling out a pink jolly rancher. "Do you want one?" She asks with a sniff, looking back over at Brittany.

"Sure," Brittany smiles, not taking her eyes off the road.

Santana pulls her hand away from Brittany's to unwrap the candy, finding it too difficult to do with one hand. Once she gets a green one free, she reaches over holding it out for the blonde. Brittany just opens her mouth with a smile. It makes Santana giggle and she places the candy on Brittany's tongue.

"Thank you," Brittany says, sucking on the hard candy.

Santana smiles and pops a pink one into her mouth before grabbing Brittany's hand once again.

They get up into Brittany's room with minimal questions from her parents. They were smart enough to know that Santana needed some time before she would talk about her session. _If_ she'd even talk about it at all. But either way they knew hassling her right when she gets home isn't the smart thing to do.

Brittany puts the movie into the DVD player as Santana dumps the rest of her candy on Brittany's bed. She tears open the King sized fast break as Brittany climbs up next to her. "I love these movies." Brittany admits with an excited grin.

"I've never seen them." Santana admits with a shrug and a mouthful of candy.

Brittany gasps and looks at her like she'd just admitted to killing someone and Santana pauses mid-chew, looking startled by the reaction. "What's wrong?" Santana asks cluelessly, glancing around the bedroom for something to be on fire or something.

"I just can't believe you've never seen them." Brittany says in awe. Santana relaxes at the explanation and cracks an amused grin. "We're going to have to change that." She says with finality, before adjusting herself against the headboard next to Santana.

During the movie, Santana keeps subtly glancing over at Brittany. Her fingers tap against her thigh anxiously as she debates whether or not to cuddle into Brittany. She wants too, and she's pretty sure Brittany wouldn't mind. It's not like they haven't cuddled before anyway. They always do it, so is it so terrifying now?

She picks up her arm a few inches before dropping it back on her leg. Rolling her eyes at herself she lets out a small sigh. Her eyes dart back over to Brittany but she seems oblivious to Santana's struggle, which is _good_.

Giving in to her cowardliness, Santana sinks back against the headboard with a frown. She reaches beside her for a starburst but then sees the ring pops and decides that's what she wants.

"Which color do you want?" Santana asks, holding out both ring pops to Brittany.

Brittany tilts her head to the side and eyes both of them carefully. "The pink one." She says nodding her head towards it.

"Oh, okay." Santana says and Brittany watches with amusement as Santana's face falls, clearly disappointed by her choice. However, Santana doesn't say anything. She just slowly unwraps the pink one before hesitantly offering it to Brittany.

"Actually I want the blue on. I change my mind." Brittany says with a smirk. She never had any intention of taking the pink one, she just wanted to see Santana's reaction, and if she'd actually give it to her. It makes her swoon that Santana actually would have given it to her no matter how badly she wanted it herself.

Santana looks up at her and looks relieved. She smiles and unwraps the blue one, handing it over to Brittany a lot more enthusiastically.

Brittany smiles and licks it a couple of times, watching Santana do the same with her pink one.

They watch each other for a few seconds before Brittany's attention gets caught by the movie. So instead Santana is just left watching the blonde. Her eyes are lit up and there is a huge grin on her face. Santana can tell she's really enjoying the movie, and it makes her grin as well.

Figuring, she'd been staring too long she leans back against the headboard and watches the movie once again. But she can't concentrate on it. It's not that the movie is bad or anything, her mind is just everywhere right now. Although, Brittany has helped her a lot this afternoon, she still hasn't forgotten about her session. "Britt?" Santana asks, her voice quiet.

Brittany hums in response and glances down at the brunette.

"Can you hold me?" Santana asks innocently, her voice small and unsure.

Brittany looks down at Santana and smiles affectionately at the girl. "Come here," She says warmly, opening her arms. She wraps one around Santana's shoulders as Santana scoots closer to her and snuggles into her side. Her other arm lies across Santana's stomach, resting on her hip.

Santana smiles contently wrapping her own arms tightly around Brittany's waist. She sucks the ring pop into her mouth, resting her head comfortably against Brittany's shoulder as she continues watching the movie.

A/N: As always, let me know what you think! (:


	15. Chapter 15

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Chapter 15

A/N: Sorry for the wait!

**What we know so far:**

5- Santana was abandoned when she was 5 and lived with Brittany until she was 7.

7-When she was 7 she was adopted by a family who was not able to get pregnant.

9-Santana was in her room with wounds on her legs and she had a baby sister.

12-When she was 12 she ran away from her adoptive family and showed up at Brittany's with bruises. She only stayed one night and Brittany wasn't allowed to tell anyone and they had their first real kiss.

14-When she was 14 she told her foster brother she thought she was gay and he got upset.

17- Brittany finds her in the park once again and she has a black eye. She comes to live with them

Brittany recently broke up with Artie and her and Santana are sort of together but not official. (:

o0o0o

Santana wakes up, with a tickling sensation on her shoulder. She's lying on her stomach, her hair all over the place, curtaining her face from the outside world. She's still groggy and tries to comprehend what she is feeling on her shoulder, but her half sleep state proves it impossible.

She lets out a groan and buries her face into her pillow, and that's when she hears someone giggle. And then it's obvious what the tickling on her shoulder was. _Brittany_. Brittany was kissing her shoulder.

The thought makes her heart race in her chest and a smile forms on her face before she can even think about stopping it. "Good morning," Brittany whispers, before placing another kiss on the back of her shoulder. She then nuzzles her nose into the crook of Santana's neck.

Santana breathes in deeply and rolls over onto her back. She blinks a few times, clearing her vision and sees Brittany lying next to her on her side, looking down at her with a warm smile. "Morning," Santana returns, her voice low and raspy from sleep.

Brittany leans down and places a soft kiss on Santana's lips, lingering a few seconds, before pulling away. "I feel like I'm still dreaming," Santana mumbles with a shy smile.

Brittany giggles and bites down on her lip, "Me too," She admits. "You have no idea how happy you make me," She tells her sincerely, reaching out to brush away some of Santana's hair that is in her face.

"I think I have a very good idea," Santana replies matter of fact. She reaches her hands up and carefully places them on either side of Brittany's face. She's still not completely used to initiating displays of affection, but she's getting there.

Brittany just smiles down at her and meets Santana for a soft kiss. She starts moving her lips, initiating more than a peck. They have yet to kiss other than just a peck and Brittany definitely wants to change that. She's wanted Santana for so long, and she's getting impatient. She knows she has to go slow though, for Santana. She doesn't want to push her or take anything too fast. Which is why she does everything with caution.

Santana reciprocates the kiss and moves her lips in sync with Brittany's. However it doesn't last as long as Brittany would like. Santana pulls away from the kiss before it can go any further and looks up at Brittany with a bashful smile.

"I love kissing you," Brittany says, before attaching their lips once again. "And I love your lips," She mumbles into the kiss.

Santana giggles and pulls back once again. "I like kissing you too." She says before biting down on her lip. She glances back at the clock on the nightstand and then catches Brittany's eyes again. "We should get ready." She says making Brittany pout.

Santana leans forward and kisses Brittany once again, but it's quick and before Brittany can even close her eyes, Santana is pulling away again. And this time, she pulls away completely and climbs out of the bed.

Brittany falls onto her back and sighs. Her eyes seek out Santana and watch her as she maneuvers around the room, lying out clothes and getting her school things together.

She doesn't want to think too much into it, but she can't help it. She doesn't understand why they had their first kiss weeks ago and they still have yet to do anything other than just pecks and then that first real kiss they just had now. She's tried initiating a longer kiss previous times, but Santana always seems to pull away. She wants to ask her about it, but she doesn't want to upset Santana.

"Are you going to get ready?" Santana asks, looking back at Brittany.

Brittany snaps out of her thoughts long enough to realize Santana was asking her a question, "Yeah." She replies, climbing out of bed. She walks over to Santana and pulls her into a hug. She feels Santana tense against her at first, not expecting the action, but it doesn't take her long to relax into it.

Santana smiles and buries her face in Brittany's neck, wrapping her arms tightly around her in return. She's not used to being this affectionate with anyone, but it's definitely something she is growing to love. Although she thinks she would only ever love being this affectionate with Brittany. She can't see herself being okay acting like this with anyone else.

Brittany pulls back after a few seconds and presses her lips firmly against Santana's. She pulls away after a few seconds, feeling that Santana was about to anyway. She pulls away from the hug as well and gives Santana a smile before leaving the room and walking down the hallway to her own room.

She wants to do more with Santana, but she will go however slow Santana needs to go. And maybe she's only being hesitant because they never made anything official. Maybe Santana is confused as to what they are and therefor what to do.

_Well_, Brittany will just have to change that.

o0o0o

Santana walks downstairs behind Brittany, dressed and ready for school. She bites her lip and can't help her eyes from staring at Brittany's ass in that damn Cheerio's skirt. No matter how many times she sees the blonde in that outfit- which is all the time- she'll never get over how hot she looks. Especially when she's bouncing down the stairs in front of her.

They round the corner and walk into the kitchen and Santana makes sure her eyes aren't on Brittany as they walk in. The whole family is siting at the kitchen table and Santana has been trying to make it a point to not get caught checking the blonde out again. Susan hadn't said anything to her about it, but it was still embarrassing. Plus, she knows if she gets caught by Ashley, she'll never live it down and she's not sure what Brian's reaction would be. She isn't even sure if he knows she's gay, or that Brittany and her have a thing.

A part of her hopes he knows, because he has still been friendly with her and hasn't said anything to show his disapproval. However, if he doesn't know, she fears that could all change when he finds out. Sure Susan and even Ashley are okay with it, but he is her father. Fathers are different then mothers and sisters. Well in her mind anyway. Men tend to be more homophobic in her experience than women.

She becomes very aware of the eyes on both of them and Santana looks down at the ground. They're running late and barely have anytime to eat which is probably why they are all looking at them, but Santana can't help but feel they're looking because they _know_. And, well, they do know, but she feels like by just looking at her they know _everything_ and they're judging her. It's probably her being paranoid, but that doesn't make her stop thinking it.

She takes a seat next to Brittany once she realizes she's been standing in the doorway for a little too long. Brittany gives her a smile before the blonde starts making her plate. She plops a waffle down on her own plate and then places one down on Santana's.

Then suddenly Brittany is standing up and walking over to the pantry. She comes back to the table seconds later with a jar of peanut butter in her hand and Santana smiles at her. "Thank you," Santana says shyly, taking the jar from Brittany. She's always loved peanut butter on her waffles, but she wasn't going to ask for it. She could have just eaten syrup like everyone else. But Brittany had of course remembered and gotten it for her without question. It makes her feel good knowing she isn't the only one who remembers little things about Brittany from years ago. She felt like some sort of crazy stalker sometimes for remembering those things.

She spreads the peanut butter onto her waffle and ignores the disgusted face Ashely gives her. She then grabs a banana from the fruit bowl in the middle of the table and slices up a few pieces and sprinkles them on the top of her waffle.

"You're weird." Ashley finally remarks after just staring at Santana as she mad her breakfast.

Santana glances up at her but chooses to not respond. Instead she cuts a small piece of waffle and scoops it up on her fork along with a banana slice and shovels it into her mouth.

Brittany giggles next to her as she eats her own waffles, but hers are drenched in syrup and whipped cream along with a little chocolate syrup. She's not even sure if there is waffle under the mass of sugary toppings.

"How is school going Brittany?" Brian asks, glancing over at his daughter. He picks up a strawberry with his fork and pops it into his mouth as he awaits her answer.

Brittany frowns and shifts around some of the whipped cream on her plate. "Fine, I guess." She says with a shrug.

"Have you brought up that math grade?" Brian asks curiously. He sounds firm, but not in a harsh way. He actually sounds like he legitimately cares, and wants Brittany to do well. Mr. Pierce doesn't talk much, but when he does it's normally about school, or something important. He's not one for random small talk. Santana thinks he is just quiet, not rude.

Brittany sighs and looks up at her dad, "I don't know." She says honestly. "I'm trying." She adds, and Santana can tell she's serious. It pains her to see that Brittany is obviously having trouble in school and it's upsetting her. She hadn't even considered that Brittany may be doing badly in school, because they're always doing homework together and Brittany always studies for her tests. It's not like she just goofs off.

"Well, you know the rules." He says, looking back down at his plate to scoop up a forkful of waffle. His only has a small amount of butter and syrup. "If you get a failing grade on your next report card you're grounded." He informs her, looking back up at her.

Brittany deflates and nods her head. "I know," She says solemnly, as she continues pushing the whipped cream around with her fork.

"I can help you study if you need me too," Santana tells her in a quiet voice. She didn't know if Brittany would want her announcing that she could help her or not. It would bring attention to the fact that she needs help and Santana doesn't want to embarrass her, not that its any reason to be embarrassed for. But she remembers when they were younger, Brittany was always down on herself for not being smart enough. And plus Ashley used to always make fun of her for it.

"That'd be great," Brittany responds with a smile, placing her hand gently on Santana's thigh.

Santana smiles back and looks down at Brittany's hand on her leg. But then she becomes very aware of the other family members sitting around them. Her face starts burning and she doesn't have the courage to look up. She's afraid they'll be staring at them. So instead she clears her throat awkwardly and shifts in her seat, before she cuts up another piece of her waffle.

Brittany smiles at Santana's awkwardness and leans over towards her. "Are you alright?" Brittany asks quietly.

Santana glances up at Brittany and gives her a reassuring smile, nodding her head.

"Santana how are you doing in school?" Brian asks, making Santana's head snap over to him. She scoots over in her seat, making Brittany's hand fall off of her leg and she gives him a nervous smile. "The same rules apply to you ya know." He informs her, pointing his fork at her as he finishes chewing the mouthful of waffle.

Santana swallows nervously and nods her head, "Yes sir, I understand." She says obediently. Honestly she isn't sure what they could ground her from, considering she doesn't do anything, but she still doesn't want to disappoint them. She's just got to keep working her ass off in school.

"Santana is super smart," Brittany says with a wide smile, "You don't have to worry about her," She adds, looking over at the Latina next to her, smiling proudly.

"Thank you Britt," Santana says quietly, sending her a small smile in return.

o0o0o

"Okay, Michelle Obama, Olivia Wilde and Kristen Stewart." Brittany says, glancing over at Santana, before cutting her eyes back to the road as she drives them to school.

Santana groans, because she doesn't like playing this game. "Um, Marry Michelle Obama, fuck Olivia Wilde and kill Kristen Stewart." Santana answers, nodding her head to affirm her choices. Brittany giggles and nods her head in approval with Santana's answers. "Um, The Biebs, Sara Ramirez, and Hayden Panettiere." Santana fires back, after a few minutes of thinking. She honestly doesn't know many celebrities considering she's been sheltered from movies and TV almost her entire life. She honestly feels like a hermit or something else socially awkward most of the time.

Brittany giggles and lets out a humming noise, "Kill Bieber," She says as if it is obvious. "Marry Sara and fuck Hayden." She answers a bit unsure, but with a smile. "Okay um, Rachel Berry, Quinn and Tina." Brittany says, making Santana's eyes widen.

"No fair, we're using celebrities." Santana whines, jiggling her hand that is interlaced with Brittany's on the middle console.

Brittany just smirks, "We never made that a rule." She says matter of fact. "Come on, I'm just curious." She says with a shrug. She gives Santana a pout, knowing it'll make the girl cave. Honestly she probably would have caved without it, but it's always fun to use the pout.

Santana sighs dramatically and drops her head against the headrest. "Um… I don't know Britt…" She answers with another sigh. She really doesn't want to answer that. It's awkward when you know the people. However Brittany tosses another pout her way, and she knows she has to answer. "I guess," She says, taking another moment to pause and think over her answers. "I guess, Marry Rachel, fuck Tina and kill Quinn." She says, her tone turning a bit bitter when Quinn's name slips from her lips.

"You'd marry Rachel?" Brittany asks raising a brow at Santana.

Santana rolls her eyes and pulls her hand away from Brittany's. "I don't even really know Tina and I definitely don't want to fuck or marry _Quinn_." She defends, folding her arms over her chest, pouting like a 5 year old that didn't get her way.

Brittany bites down on her lip and tries not to laugh. She reaches over and grabs Santana's hand, pulling it back over to her, even though Santana fights her. She pulls the brunette's hand firmly and holds their interlaced hands to her chest. "It's just a game, don't be like that." She tells her with a smile, before kissing the back of Santana's hand.

"This game is stupid." Santana mutters, giving up the struggle to get her hand back.

Brittany just shakes her head, but doesn't try and argue with her. "Speaking of Quinn, you should really apologize to her about yesterday." Brittany says matter of fact.

Santana's brows furrow and she looks over at Brittany in confusion. "For what?" She asks, clearly not remembering doing anything to Quinn that would need her to apologize.

Brittany looks over at her again and gives her a look. It's a look that tells her she should know exactly what she is talking about. However, Santana still looks confused so Brittany sighs, "For snapping at her at lunch." Brittany clarifies. "I know she was in your business and you don't like that, but honestly, you've been rude to Quinn since you have been back." Brittany tells her.

"Quinn is fine," Santana says, rolling her eyes. But Brittany gives her another look. "I haven't been rude to Quinn." She defends, her brows furrowing.

Brittany lets out a bitter laugh and gives Santana yet another look. "Whatever, I can't tell you what to do, but you have and she's noticed." Brittany tells her.

Santana bites down on her lip and glares out the window. She hasn't been rude to Quinn. How dare Quinn say that. What has she done to her? Sure, she only speaks to her when Quinn speaks first, and most of the time it is short answers and _okay_, sometimes she can be a little snappy. But that doesn't mean she's been rude. _Ugh_. Even she knows better than that.

"I'm not a nice person." Santana admits, looking back over at Brittany. "It's nothing against Quinn." She adds with a shrug.

Brittany seems to think it over for a moment, but then she smiles, "You're not mean to me." She says matter of fact. "You're actually the nicest person that I've ever met." She says sincerely.

Santana scoffs in response, "I'm nice to you, but that doesn't mean I'm nice." She says defensively. "I'm not nice to anyone but you." She adds bitterly.

Brittany chuckles, "You're nice Tana," She says matter of fact. "You're just a big softie, so get over it." She says teasingly. She reaches over and pokes Santana's side, but the brunette continues scowling. She pokes her again and again until Santana finally lets out a giggle and squirms away from Brittany's finger.

o0o0o0o

Santana stands against her locker, waiting as usual for Brittany to meet her for lunch. She's always here way before Brittany. It could be because it is of course her locker, and Brittany probably has to stop by her own as well. But it's also because Brittany gets stopped by a lot of people on her way. She's popular, everyone loves her and everyone wants to talk to her.

Puck walks up to her and smiles at her as she's waiting. "Hey sexy," he smirks, waggling his brows. She just rolls her eyes and looks down the hallway, ignoring him. Sure they've made up and she will call him a friend, but she chooses to not acknowledge him when he makes comments like that. She's getting used to it and it doesn't necessarily bother her but she definitely doesn't want to egg it on.

"What are you doing after school tomorrow?" She asks, looking back over at him.

He looks a little caught off guard, because she doesn't normally ask to hang out with him. Not outside of school anyway. "Nothing as of now," He says with a shrug. "You want to hang out?" He asks curiously.

Santana nods, "Yeah, but you'll need to pick me up from somewhere." She tells him, making him give her a confused look. "I'll text you the address later, I'm not sure how to tell you where it is and I don't know the name of the place." She says with a shrug. Really she just doesn't want him knowing where she is going.

"Okay," He says slowly. He knows better than to ask any other questions though. And even if he wanted to, Quinn walks up to them, not giving him a chance. "Hey Quinn," Puck greets the blonde with his arrogant smile. Santana has learned it's the smile he uses when he's trying to be flirty. It's his sex shark smile.

"Puckerman," She says back with a smile of her own.

Puck looks her up and down then breaks his gaze from her and turns back to Santana, "I'll see you later," He says, before turning to walk down the hallway, leaving the girls alone.

"Hey Santana," Quinn greets a bit quietly. She leans up against the lockers next to Santana and looks down the hallway, avoiding Santana's gaze. "No Brittany yet?" She asks, looking down the hall in both directions.

Santana sighs, and turns to look at Quinn. The blonde catches her gaze and gives her an awkward smile before averting her eyes once again. "Quinn, I'm sorry for snapping at you yesterday." Santana apologizes. She doesn't exactly sound sincere, but considering she _never_ apologizes, Quinn should be grateful.

Quinn shakes her head and smiles again, "It's fine," She brushes off. "I shouldn't have been so nosy." She says with a shrug. Santana nods slowly and leans back up against the lockers, thinking the conversation is over. That was easier than she thought it would be. "It's just, you guys seem close. I mean I've never seen him act this way before." She says with a shrug. "It's just weird, and I was curious." She says, biting her lip.

Santana rolls her eyes. Are they really getting into this again? "Look, we're not together. I promise." Santana tells her sternly. She tries to keep her voice even, and not let the annoyance show through, but she's pretty sure she failed. So much for being nice. "I don't like him. I know that you do and I was just in a bad mood and I snapped the other day, so I'm sorry." She adds, trying to evade an argument. Quinn really has no idea how wrong she is about all of this.

"I don't like Puck," Quinn says with a frown. "He is an ass." She says, shaking her head.

Santana tilts her head to the side slightly and frowns. "He's not an ass." She says, her brows furrowing. "Look, I don't want to argue," She says with a sigh. "Just know that I'm not into him and that I'm sorry." She says, turning to lean back up against the lockers. "Also, not just for the other day. If I've been rude to you any other times, I'm sorry." She says with a sigh.

Quinn bites down on her lip and nods her head, "Do you not like me or something?" Quinn asks, confused.

"That's not it." Santana says, shaking her head. But really she doesn't know what it is. She's never really liked Quinn, since that first day they met. Maybe it's because she's always been jealous of her, but she can't exactly tell Quinn that. "I'm not a nice person." Santana says with a small laugh. Maybe Quinn will believe her since Brittany didn't.

"You are," Quinn says, and Santana holds back an eye roll. "The way you are with Brittany," She says, but pauses and smiles, shaking her head a bit, not having the words to express it. "You are a nice person Santana." She tells her firmly. "I've never seen Brittany as happy as she has been since you've been back." She says honestly.

Santana's face turns a bit red and she turns away from Quinn to hide it along with the smile on her face.

o0o0o

Santana sees him roll in and before she can stop it, he is sitting at the table next to her. Her eyes dart around the room, looking to see if there is another empty seat in the class. The only other empty seat is in between two jocks and she debates for a moment which is worse, sitting by them or Artie. She finally decides Artie is the lesser poison surprisingly and lets out a sigh. She scoots her chair a few inches away from him, hoping she can just act as if he isn't here. He hasn't sat by her since Brittany broke up with him and she doesn't know why he is doing it now. But she figures there is a reason for it.

"Hey Santana," He greets looking over at her.

Santana inwardly groans, "Hey," She greets back, not taking her eyes off of her backpack as she pulls out her supplies for the class.

She hears him clear his throat and can see him lean over towards her in the corner of her eye. "How has Brittany been?" He asks, and Santana can tell he is trying to sound nonchalant about it. But she can sense the anxiousness in his voice. "Has she mentioned anything about me?" He asks, not being patient enough to wait for Santana to respond to his first question.

Santana wants to tell him off and to tell him that she wants nothing to do with him, but she decides to take the high road. Artie didn't technically do anything awful to Brittany. Sure he could have treated her better, but he didn't treat her completely terrible. And plus, Santana can tell he is upset about the break up and she actually doesn't want to hurt him just for fun. He never did anything to her. "She's doing alright, she hasn't really talked about it much." She decides to say with a shrug.

Artie frowns at the information, "Well do you think she regrets it? I was pretty upset she ended it, but if she apologizes we could work it out." He tells her with hopeful eyes. He's trying to seem like he doesn't really care what she did or if they get back together, but Santana can see right through him. His eyes say it all. He's actually really upset about the breakup. Santana has a feeling he'd take Brittany back no matter what.

"I don't think she wants to get back together Artie." Santana says quietly. She decides she shouldn't get his hopes up for nothing, but she also doesn't want to be a complete bitch about it. Well, she actually does, but she knows she shouldn't.

Artie scoffs next to her and rolls his eyes. "Please, who else will love her?" He asks, making Santana frown. "Brittany is popular but it's only because she is hot and everyone wants to sleep with her." He says, shaking her head as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Like being with him is her only option and he doesn't understand how she doesn't see that.

It makes Santana angry, and she wants to go off on him, but the teacher has begun the lecture and she knows she'll get in trouble if she yells at him right now. So instead she takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly, collecting herself. "Artie, you treated her like shit." She whispers, glancing from him to the teacher to make sure he wasn't looking at them.

"I did not," Artie says, clearly offended. "You wouldn't even know." He adds quickly. "Things were just fine until you came along." He says bitterly, throwing her a glare.

Santana exhales deeply and closes her eyes, trying to maintain her cool, but it is getting increasingly harder. "You blew her off to play video games, you guys have nothing in common and-

"We don't have to have anything in common." He snaps back. He glances over at the teacher along with Santana, because his voice was a little louder than he'd intended, but thankfully the teacher is writing on the board and didn't seem to notice. "We had our separate things, it wasn't a big deal." He argues. "I obviously can't dance and she's not smart enough to be in the chess club, the debate team of any of the other clubs I am in." He explains with a shrug.

Santana gives him an incredulous look. Did he really just say that? "Hold up," She says, putting her hand up in the air.

"Come on, she's not very smart." Artie says as if it's obvious, "I mean she's really sweet and incredibly hot but she's-

"Don't even finish that sentence." Santana snaps, her voice low and threatening. "Don't you ever talk about her like that again." She warns dangerously, her blood beginning to boil. "Brittany is a genius," Santana says and Artie just rolls his eyes in response, clearly not agreeing. "You don't deserve her." She says firmly.

"Is there something you guys would like to discuss with the class?" The teacher addresses them, finally taking notice in their conversation.

Santana's face turns bright red as everyone in the class turn their heads to look at the two of them. "No sir," Artie answers as Santana just stares down at the spiral on her desk.

The teacher goes back to talking and Santana lets out a breath, and rests her chin on her hand. She can still feel her face burning from residual embarrassment and she wants nothing more than for Artie to just leave her alone and never speak to her again.

"You seem very defensive." Artie whispers, leaning towards her once again.

Santana clenches her jaw and continues watching the teacher as he speaks, trying her best to ignore Artie.

"You like Brittany don't you?" He asks, sounding as if he's solved the worlds hardest problem. "Is that why she broke up with me? Because you and her were sleeping together?" He asks, his voice growing angry. "I knew it was going to happen, I freaking knew it." He says more to himself, shaking his head.

Santana slams her fist against the table, finally snapping. Everyone's heads turn towards her, but she doesn't even take notice. "We didn't sleep together, fuck off!" She growls, standing up in her chair, forcing her chair to fly back into the desk behind her.

"Miss. Lopez!" The teacher yells disapprovingly. "Principal now." He says sternly, flinging his finger towards the classroom door.

Santana's eyes widen and she's suddenly aware of all the eyes on her. She feels like she's naked standing in the middle of the classroom and all she wants to do is run home and curl up in her bed.

"Miss. Lopez, now." He says once again, his voice growing more stern.

Santana shakes her head forcing herself to stop focusing on all the other students and to think clearly. She looks down at her things and starts gathering it all up, trying to ignore the stares and whispers around her. Artie is smirking at her and she just wants to slap it right off of his face, but that is obviously not a good idea. She's already in enough trouble. She throws her backpack over her shoulder and walks out of the classroom, her head down, the entire way.

A/N: So again I am so sorry for the wait!

I have a question for you guys! This is for a future story that I won't be putting up right now because I have so many others and I can't even keep up with them, but I have started the planning process.

I want to do the teacher/student thing. I've been planning to do one since my first story but it never happened. But I wanted to know which you guys would prefer:

Teacher/Student, Cheerleading Coach/Cheerio or School Nurse/Student.

So if you guys will please let me know in a message or review that'd be great! (:


	16. Chapter 16

The Light At The End of the Tunnel

Chapter 16

Enjoy (:

**What we know so far:**

5- Santana was abandoned when she was 5 and lived with Brittany until she was 7.

7-When she was 7 she was adopted by a family who was not able to get pregnant.

9-Santana was in her room with wounds on her legs and she had a baby sister.

12-When she was 12 she ran away from her adoptive family and showed up at Brittany's with bruises. She only stayed one night and Brittany wasn't allowed to tell anyone and they had their first real kiss.

14-When she was 14 she told her foster brother she thought she was gay and he got upset.

17- Brittany finds her in the park once again and she has a black eye. She comes to live with them

We last left off where Santana got sent to the principal's office for going off on Artie during class...

Santana walks out of detention that afternoon and sees Brittany sitting on the ground against the lockers across from the door. She is surprised to see her, but it makes her frown turn into a smile pretty quickly.

When the blonde sees her, she returns her a smile, stands up and brushes her butt off. "How long have you been waiting here?" Santana asks, her brows furrowing. She knew detention was long, but she didn't think it would outlast cheerio's practice. Although while she was inside, it felt like it had lasted through most of her life. It was 3 hours of absolutely nothing. She didn't even have enough homework to last more than and hour so the rest of the time all she could do was stare at the wall.

"Just like 5 minutes." Brittany answers with a shrug. They turn and head down the hallway towards the exit and Brittany can't help but chuckle, making Santana give her a confused look. "I'm sorry," Brittany apologizes, trying to contain her laughter. "But why did you have detention anyway?" She asks curiously.

Santana had text her after leaving the principals office, to tell Brittany she'd be in detention during Glee club and part of Cheerio's practice, but she hadn't explained why. She wasn't really sure what to tell Brittany. She didn't want to bring up Artie, but she also wasn't the best at lying. Not to Brittany anyway. "I was talking during class." Santana says simply. It wasn't a lie. And there isn't a point in bringing up Artie because, technically, if she's being fair it wasn't his fault anyway. She is the one who snapped and yelled at him in the middle of class. But he _did_ provoke her.

Brittany stops and turns to Santana, raising a brow, "Talking?" She asks skeptically. Santana isn't really a talker, especially not during class. The few times that Brittany had tried to talk to her during the classes they have together, Santana would tell her that she's trying to pay attention, and then politely ignore her. Brittany actually found it kind of cute. She likes the nerdy side of Santana. "Who were you talking to?" She asks, as she continues walking again.

Santana bites down on her lip and grips onto her backpack straps a little tighter. "Some girl was asking me for help and she wouldn't leave me alone." Santana lies. "It's not a big deal, it was dumb." She adds with a shrug.

Brittany nods her head slowly and frowns, "Well I think it's kinda hot." Brittany says, a smirk slowly replacing her frown.

It's Santana who stops walking this time, and she looks at Brittany curiously. "What's hot?" She asks confused. A girl talking to her and asking for help is hot? _What_?

"You getting detention." She replies, turing to face Santana who still looks confused. "You got that whole bad girl thing going on." She further explains with a seductive grin. She glances around the hallway and when she sees nobody around, she pulls Santana into her by the belt loops on her jeans.

Santana gasps as her chest presses flush against Brittany's. She glances around them as well and relaxes when she sees that they are completely alone. She smiles at Brittany and gently lets her arms rest on Brittany's shoulders, her hands loosely clasping each other behind the blonde's neck. "You like that huh?" Santana asks with a grin.

Brittany hums in response and leans down placing a series of kisses on Santana's neck. "You being a badass, it's totally a turn on." Brittany mumbles against Santana's neck. She feels Santana freeze under her touch again so she places one last kiss and pulls back to look into Santana's eyes. "What's wrong?" She asks, concerned.

"Nothing," Santana says, shaking her head. The wrinkle between her brows smoothes out and she gives Brittany a smile. "I've always been a badass though," She replies, raising a challenging brow back at the blonde.

Brittany smirks and rolls her eyes, "Yeah, okay." She says, but Santana can tell she isn't convinced. Santana pouts slightly in response and lets out a small huff. "Will you go somewhere with me?" Brittany asks, changing the subject completely.

Santana looks a bit curious but she smiles and nods her head, "I'll go anywhere with you." She replies confidently.

Brittany leans in and places a soft kiss to Santana's lips before pulling away. She grabs Santana's hand and leads her down the hallway and out into the parking lot.

"Hey Britt?" Santana asks turning to glance at the blonde as they walk out to Brittany's car. "Can we not tell your parents about this?" Santana asks hesitantly. "It's just, it was stupid and I don't want them getting upset y'know?" She explains, stopping at the passenger side door of Brittany's car. She's nervous that if her parents find out they'll get really mad at her and she definitely doesn't want that. She just hopes that Brittany won't feel like they need to know about it.

"I won't say anything." Brittany promises. "I wouldn't tattle on you like that." She says with a small chuckle. She opens the passenger side door and motions for Santana to get in. Once she's situated in, Brittany closes the door and makes her way around to the drivers side.

They pull up to wherever Brittany is taking them and Santana looks eagerly around at her surroundings. When she notices they are at the park, she frowns. She can't even look at the playground without getting a heavy feeling in her chest.

"Are you okay?" Brittany's voice asks, pulling Santana from her trance.

She shakes her head and notices that Brittany has already gotten out of the car. She's now on Santana's side with the passenger door opened, waiting on Santana to get out. Santana opens her mouth to say something, but she just ends up closing it back and shaking her head. "Fine," She eventually squeaks out, still making no move to get out of the car.

"You don't look okay." Brittany says with a frown. "Do you not wanna go in?" Brittany asks, glancing back at the gates to the park.

Santana clears her throat, and bites down on her lip. She doesn't want to disappoint Brittany, because she can see how excited the blonde is to be here. But she also knows she can't go inside of that park. So she shakes her head, "This place doesn't bring up good memories for me." Santana says quietly, dropping her gaze down to her lap. She feels bad for ruining Brittany's plans, but she just can't go inside there. If she does, she may have a panic attack.

"Well I think it's time to make some good ones." Brittany tells her, grabbing one of her hands. "Besides, if you think about it, you already have good memories here." Brittany reminds her matter of fact. "We met here," Brittany says with a small smile. "And really, if it weren't for this place, we may not have ever met." She adds truthfully.

Santana lets a small smile appear on her face, and she nods her head. "I guess you're right." She answers quietly. She feels Brittany squeeze her hand, and it gives her the reassurance she needs. Taking a deep breath, she climbs out of the car and shuts the door behind her.

"You ready?" Brittany asks, turning to face the parks gate. "I'll be here with you." She assures her, pulling Santana closer to her.

Nodding her head, Santana takes in another deep breath and takes a step forward towards the gate. They walk inside and Brittany immediately leads them over to the same jungle gym that Brittany had found Santana at twice already. It makes Santana's gut wrench and she feels a little nauseous the closer they get, but she continues walking.

Brittany was right, this place is in her past and she needs to move on. She can't avoid this place forever. And like Brittany said, she actually has a lot of good memories here as well. This is where she met Brittany and this is where Brittany became her girlfriend when they were 5 years old. This is also where she was brought back to Brittany 10 years later.

"You okay?" Brittany asks, turning towards the brunette. She stops them when they get to the jungle gym and studies Santana's face. She wants Santana to be able to come here without having a panic attack, but she also realizes how hard it probably is for Santana to be here. She has a reason for bringing Santana here, but at the first sign of distress, she'll whisk Santana away and go somewhere else. She doesn't care if it'll sort of ruin her plan. She just wants Santana to be okay.

Santana's brow is furrowed as she runs her eyes over every inch of the plastic and metal. Her heart race has picked up and honestly she feels like she's about to have a panic attack. She doesn't want to be here. She's trying to remember all of the good memories here, but they're taken over by all of the bad. She tries thinking about the time she first met Brittany and the two years they spent here. While she was living with Brittany the first time, Susan brought them here almost every day to play. It'd been the happiest time of her life.

But then the good memories get pushed out and the bad ones take over. She can't help but be reminded as to why she was there in the first place and why she had to go home with Brittany. She also remembers when they'd come back to the park everyday for the next two years she'd look for her parents hoping that they would show up. But they never did.

Obviously living in a park wasn't glamourous. She hardly ate both times she was there and nights were freezing. She remembers being curled up in the tunnel because it was the most protected from the wind and the cold air. However, it wasn't fully enclosed and she'd lie awake at night, too cold to even be able to fall asleep.

There was also that one time when she was 16 a homeless guy approached her one night. She'd been scared out of her mind when he tapped her on her shoulder. She remembers picking her head up and being met with his dirty scruffy face right in her face. She'd jumped up so quickly she hit her head on the top of the tunnel, but it hadn't slowed her down from crawling out as fast as possible and heading for the top platform with the slide.

He was completely wasted and just asked her if she had any money on her. She of course bit his head off and told him if she had money she wouldn't be sleeping in the park.

He looked more terrified than she had, and scurried off quickly after her outburst. She was just happy he hadn't tried anything. It could have gone a lot worse than it did.

"Santana?" Brittany asks, pulling Santana from her memory. "Hey, it's okay," Brittany says, pulling Santana into a tight hug.

Santana sniffles and realizes she'd started crying. She wraps her arms tightly around Brittany's waist and buries her face into the blonde's neck. "I'm sorry," Santana apologizes. "I'm sorry," She repeats over and over again.

Brittany pulls back slightly, "Don't apologize." She says firmly. She reaches up and brushes Santana's hair away from her face, pushing it behind her ear. She then cups Santana's face in both her hands and wipes away the brunette's tears with her thumbs. "Do you want to leave?" She asks gently, looking directly into the brunette's dark eyes.

Santana inhales deeply through her mouth and glances around the area. _Yes_, she does. "No," is what comes out however. "No, I'll be okay." She assures the blonde, nodding her head. She wants to leave, but she also wants to force herself to stay here. Brittany is right, this place has good memories, and Santana can't be afraid of this place for the rest of her life. Sure, her life has been awful, but it's better than it has ever been right now. And she has this place to think for that. If she would have stayed anywhere else but here, she would have never been brought to Brittany. It was fate.

"Are you sure?" Brittany asks hesitantly.

Santana nods her head, and gives Brittany a small smile. "Yes, I just needed a minute." She tells her, sniffling. She brings her hand up to her face and wipes her eyes and her nose with her sleeve. "Do you want to swing or something?" She asks, glancing over at the swing set. It was always Brittany's favorite thing to do here when they were little. And Santana could definitely use a distraction. If she stands here in front of this jungle gym any longer, she'll lose it.

Brittany just nods her head and smiles. She leans in and places a soft but meaningful kiss to Santana's lips. "Tell me if you want to leave alright?" She asks, pulling away from the kiss. She waits until Santana nods, before leading the brunette over to the swing set.

They start swinging and a few minutes in, Brittany notices a smile on Santana's face. She stops pumping her legs and just watches Santana as her swing starts slowing down. Santana, however, is going extremely high, just like she used to do when they were little. It always scared Brittany when they were younger, when Santana would go that high. She always felt like she was going to fall, but she never did.

The smile on Santana's face is real and beautiful, and Brittany can't stop staring at her. She also can't help but smile just as widely. It's very rare that Santana looks so happy and free, and it's really a beautiful site. "You're going to fall." Brittany says with a smirk, remembering how many times she has said it in the past.

Santana giggles and closes her eyes, tilting her head back slightly, not slowing down her motions. "I feel like I'm flying!" She shouts, making Brittany giggle. She loves seeing Santana like this. She doesn't know what it is about swings, but Santana always gets like this. Maybe it's the feel of the wind in her hair or the feeling that she _is_ actually flying. Maybe that feeling is freeing for Santana, and she feels she can completely let loose. Whatever it is, Brittany loves the swings.

o0o0o

The girls end up on the old jungle gym after about an hour. It'd taken awhile for Santana to get to the top, but she'd done it. It's not even very high anymore but she still feels like she is on top of the world. She knows it's a silly comparison but she can't help but feel that way. By coming here, and climbing on this jungle gym, she feels like she accomplished something. It was a part of her life that she just wanted to forget and this was a place that she'd hoped to never come back to. But, she's glad she was forced to come back. Bad things have happened here, but so many good things have also.

She looks over at Brittany who is sitting next to her and bites her lip. They're sitting on the edge, letting their legs dangle as they watch the few kids that are left in the park. "Thank you for brining me here." Santana finally says quietly.

Brittany looks over at Santana and smiles softly at her, but she doesn't give a vocal response. She doesn't feel it's necessary. She didn't do anything. Sure, she brought Santana here, but Santana is the one who really accomplished something, and she is so proud of her. "I want you to be my girlfriend." Brittany says, making Santana's head snap up to look at her, eyes wide in surprise. "My mommy told me that if you like someone you should ask them, and I like you." Brittany continues, with a giggle. "Do you like me?" She asks, nudging Santana with her shoulder.

Santana giggles in response, remembering those exact words coming of out Brittany's mouth 10 years ago, in this same spot. It makes her heart flutter in her chest. "Yeah, I do." She says, nodding her head. She bites down on her lip and looks back down at the kids below them. They're so young and so care free. It makes her jealous. Sometimes she wishes she could go back to being 6 years old. Everything was so easy then. Now it's complicated.

She wants to be Brittany's girlfriend. She wants to be more than anything, but she doesn't think she _should_ be. Brittany deserves better than her. She's got so much baggage, and she is so fucked up. She will just bring Brittany down. Brittany is the most carefree, loving, and innocent person she knows, and she doesn't want any of that to be taken away from her.

Santana is the complete opposite of Brittany. She's anti-social, anxious and far from innocent. She has issues, issues that Brittany shouldn't have to deal with. She's been through things, she never wants Brittany to know about. Brittany shouldn't ever have to hear about some of the things she has been through, and seen nobody should, but she really doesn't want Brittany hearing about it. She can't take that optimism and innocence away from her.

"San?" Brittany asks, after a few minutes. She can tell Santana is stuck in her head. "You're thinking too much." Brittany tells her. She reaches over and grabs Santana's hand in her own, interlacing their fingers. "Santana, I know you have some stuff you need to work out, but I want to be with you." She tells her seriously. "I've already told you that I'll be here for you through it all, and I mean that." She says firmly.

Santana sighs and pulls her eyes away from Brittany and down to her hand which is in Brittany's lap. "Brittany, I don't want you to get hurt." She says, quietly. She knows she's said it millions of times, but it is still prevalent and obviously Brittany isn't understanding her. "I'm not-I don't know if I am stable enough for a relationship." She admits.

Brittany places her free hand over their interlaced ones and ducks her head to try and find Santana's eyes. "We'll go slow." Brittany assures her. "I mean, it's already like we're dating anyway." She says with a shrug. "I just want to make it official. I want you to be mine, and I want to be yours." She says, giving Santana's hands a squeeze.

Santana licks her lips and looks up at Brittany. She studies her eyes for a few seconds, searching them. She isn't really sure what she is searching for, but she's looking for something. She needs to know that Brittany really wants this, and she understands that everything won't be perfect, but she is definitely going to try. "I'm already yours." Santana finally says, with a nod.

Brittany grins widely, and she launches herself at Santana, pulling her into a tight hug. She pulls back from the hug after a couple of minutes, but stays close to Santana. When she feels the brunette pulling away completely, she places both her hands on the sides of Santana's face and keeps her close. She gives the Latina a smile before leaning in and placing a firm kiss on her lips.

Santana smiles into the kiss, but it only takes her seconds to realize where they are. She pulls away from Brittany and gives her an apologetic look, before glancing around to see if anyone was looking at them. Thankfully, nobody seemed to be, but she still wasn't comfortable with displays of affection in public.

"Sorry," Brittany apologizes with a smile. It still bugs her a little that she can't be open in public about her relationship with Santana, but right now she is on cloud 9 and even that can't bring her down. "Let's go home." She says, standing up, and offering her hand down for Santana.

o0o0o

Brittany pulls up to her house, her hand interlaced with Santana's in the brunette's lap. She shuts the car off and turns to look at Santana, a big smile on her face. The smile hasn't disappeared since Santana had agreed to be her girlfriend, and she doesn't think it's going to leave anytime soon either. She's okay with that, although her cheeks will probably start hurting soon. She's okay with that too though.

"What?" Santana asks, shifting in her seat, a little uncomfortable under Brittany's stare.

Brittany just giggles and shakes her head. "I'm just happy," She gushes. She leans over the console and uses her free hand to guide Santana's face to her own, their lips meeting for a kiss.

Santana sighs contently against Brittany's lips, smiling into the kiss. She pulls away a few seconds later, and rests her head against Brittany's. "Are we going to tell your family about us?" Santana asks pulling away completely, her eyes darting down, away from Brittany's.

"They already know." Brittany responds with a shrug. "Except maybe dad, he can be oblivious sometimes." She adds with a small smirk. However, when she notices the deep frown on Santana's face, her smirk falls from her face. "Hey, it's not a big deal. They won't care." She says, grabbing Santana's hands in her own. "Mom already knows and she doesn't care, and dad won't either, I promise." She assures her.

Santana just nods in response. She knows there isn't any point in trying to deny their relationship or hide it, considering everyone in the family already knows. However, that doesn't ease her fears. It makes her a bit uncomfortable knowing that they all know about the two of them. Will there be new rules? Will they be watching them all the time? Are they going to think differently now that she is dating their youngest daughter? What will happen if they have a fight or even worse, break up. Not that she hopes that will happen, but it could. Especially if she fucks this up just like she's fucked everything else up in her life.

Plus, she knows that Brittany said Brian won't care, but she is still terrified of his reaction. What if he gets mad and kicks her out. Or what if worse, he kicks Brittany out or hurts her. She couldn't let that happen. If anything happens to Brittany, she'd blame herself and she'd definitely never be able to forgive herself. "Brittany, what if your dad doesn't like it." She whispers, still not being brave enough to look up at the blonde.

Brittany sighs and gives Santana's hand a gentle squeeze. "He knows that I date girls too." She admits to Santana, making the brunette look up at her. "He knows that and he doesn't care, and he loves you, so he won't care. I promise." She tries assuring her again. She knows how afraid Santana is, but she also knows there is no need to be afraid. Her family won't care about the two of them, and they definitely won't kick Santana out or get mad at her. She'd come out to both of them awhile ago, and they'd both been supportive of her.

Santana sighs, and nods her head, out of questions. She's put all of her concerns out there, and Brittany has reassured her. She isn't less afraid really, but she knows it's pointless to ask Brittany to not tell Brian. It's not fair to him and he may already know anyway, and she's worrying over nothing.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not used to this." Santana says with a sigh. She isn't used to being open with her sexuality, and even more so she isn't used to having to be open to her girlfriends parents about it. She isn't even used to having a girlfriend, much less dealing with her parents. And all of her past experiences with coming out have been bad, and she just doesn't want that happening to Brittany.

Brittany nods her head, and gives Santana a reassuring smile. "I know you aren't." She confirms. "But, I'm already out to them, and I promise they were nothing but supportive." She assures the girl. "They love me and they love you no matter what alright?"

"Okay," Santana nods. "But, I still may not be comfortable being open in front of them." She adds, looking down again. She realizes Brittany wants to be out and open, and she doesn't want to upset Brittany. But she is so used to hiding this part of herself, and it's not going to change over night. She wont be able to walk in there right now, holding Brittany's hand or kiss her in front of her family.

"It's okay, we will take it slow." Brittany says, "That sound good?" She asks, picking Santana's head up to meet her eyes. "Just no hiding." She says, firmly once Santana meets her eyes.

Santana nods her head and bites down on her lip. "That sounds good." She agrees. It actually sounds very good. She's happy that Brittany is going to be patient with her. She doesn't want to hide their relationship either, but she is terrified of being out. And even if she isn't as afraid to be out to Brittany's parents, she's still not comfortable flaunting it yet. But she wants to be able to be comfortable and be out, it'll just take some time.

"Alright, lets go." Brittany says, pulling away from Santana to get out of the car.

o0o0o

They get up to Brittany's room when they get inside and Santana makes her way onto the bed as Brittany closes the door behind her. The blonde drops her cheerio's bag and backpack by the door and lets out a tired sigh, glad to be back home. She looks up at Santana who is lying on her stomach on her bed, texting. She has a smile on her face and it makes Brittany smile, but it also confuses her and makes her curious as to who Santana is talking to.

"Who ya textin?" She asks, sitting on the foot of the bed next to Santana's head.

Santana glances up at the blonde and shakes her head, "It's just Puck. He's being stupid." She says with a small chuckle, before going back to her reply.

Brittany nods her head and waits patiently a couple of minutes, but Santana continues texting back and forth with the boy. It's not that she is jealous of him, because she knows that Santana doesn't want him _at all_. But she still doesn't like being ignored while Santana sits there and texts him. Especially not when Santana just became her girlfriend 20 minutes ago.

Brittany reaches down and grabs Santana's phone out of her hand, getting a frown and a "Hey!" from Santana. Brittany just shuts the phone off and places it on her nightstand before turning her attention back to Santana. "I was in the middle of a reply," Santana says, but she doesn't sound to broken up about it.

"Is he more important than your girlfriend?" Brittany asks teasingly, loving how the word sounds aloud. She just wants to say it over and over again. But that'd be creepy so instead she just repeats it over and over in her head. _Girlfriend_.

Santana blushes at the question, but shakes her head no. "Of course not," She says quietly and sincerely. "Nobody is." She adds, looking up to meet Brittany's blue eyes.

Brittany lies down on the bed next to Santana and leans over, placing her lips firmly against hers.

"Although, you're the one who told me I shouldn't ignore him and that I should be friends with him." Santana reminds her, pulling away from the kiss. Brittany tries to lean forward keeping the contact so Santana leans back slightly and giggles. "Which I don't get because you obviously don't like him." Santana adds, her brows furrowing in confusion.

Brittany leans back to her side of the bed and sighs. "I never have really liked him." She admits with a small shrug. "But I've also never seen this side of him. He actually seems sincere with you and plus, you like him and I think it's good for you to have a good friend other than me. Especially now that we're dating." Brittany explains. "Plus, like you said, you guys are alike and it's good that you have someone who understands you." She adds, before leaning in and placing another kiss to Santana's lips. She knows that Santana will just pull away to reply to her, but she hopes she won't. She just really wants to keep kissing Santana right now and not talk about Puck.

"You're all I need." Santana whispers against Brittany's lips. She then wraps her arms around Brittany's neck and lies down on her back, pulling Brittany down with her, which surprises the blonde.

Brittany's upper body hovers over Santana, but she keeps her lower body on her side, not wanting to push Santana too far by crawling all the way on top of her. Her left arm holds her body up and her right hand starts slowly, sliding up and down Santana's side, being careful not to go too high or too low.

She decides to take the opportunity and slowly opens her mouth and lets her tongue gently brush against Santana's lower lip. The action makes her heart flutter in her chest and it starts pounding even harder when Santana opens her lips, and their tongues just barely touch. The small touch sends chills down both girls spines, and Brittany pushes her tongue a little further, sliding it against the length of Santana's and underneath.

Brittany feels Santana shiver under her and she can't help but smile into the kiss. She's been wanting to do this for so long now, and it's just as amazing as she'd pictured. She can also tell that Santana is enjoying it by the quiet gasps and the way her body shivers underneath her when she brushes her tongue on the under side of Santana's tongue.

After a few minutes, Santana pulls away, her face a deep shade of red and her breathing coming out in raged pants. It makes Brittany giggle how embarrassed she looks. "Are you okay?" She asks quietly, reaching out to brush a stray piece of hair out of Santana's face. The poor girl underneath her looks like she is about to have a panic attack and if Brittany wasn't _actually_ worried that she might, it'd be cute.

"Yeah," Santana breathes out, her eyes averting away from Brittany. "I've…" She starts, but stops herself and rolls her eyes. She lets out a heavy sigh and starts again, "I've never kissed anyone before." She says so quietly that Brittany barely hears it. "Not like that anyway." She adds just as quiet. "So I'm sorry if I'm like bad or whatever." She says with a small shrug, her eyes looking everywhere but at Brittany.

Brittany tilts her head to the side and smiles warmly down at Santana. "I was your first real kiss?" Brittany asks, her grin so wide, it looks like it has to hurt.

Santana shifts underneath her and nods her head, still not looking up at her. "It's pathetic, I know." She mumbles lowly.

Brittany leans down and places a soft kiss to Santana's lips, her nose and then her forehead before pulling back. This draws Santana's attention and her eyes flutter up to meet Brittany's once again. "It's not pathetic at all." She assures her, smiling warmly. "I actually wish that I could say the same thing." She says honestly with a sigh. "Well, you were technically my first kiss, just not first make out." She corrects with a frown and a shrug. "But you weren't bad at all." She says quickly, realizing she hadn't assured the girl earlier. "I promise." She adds honestly with a grin.

Brittany leans down to kiss her once again, and it's Santana this time that takes the initiative to take the kiss further. She pushes her tongue into Brittany's mouth, battling her tongue against her own. It's the best thing she's ever felt, and she wishes she'd made out with Brittany a long time ago.

She lets out a groan when Brittany retracts her tongue back into her own mouth and tugs on Santana's bottom lip with her teeth.

After a few minutes of making out, they pull apart once again, both breathing heavily. Santana doesn't look as embarrassed this time, but her face is flushed along with Brittany's. She can also see the tips of Brittany's ears burning red.

"I hate to do this…" Santana says with a sigh, "But I have a lot of homework and I should probably get started." She says with a frown.

Brittany frowns back at Santana looking down at her, and shakes her head. "No, you should keep kissing me." She says with a teasing grin, before leaning down and capturing Santana's lips with her own. It turns into another make out session that lasts a few long minutes, before Santana pulls back once again.

However, Brittany just continues her kisses down Santana's neck. "Britt…" She half sighs and have giggles. "Britt, really it's already almost 7 and I have a lot of homework." She says, shoving gently at the blonde's shoulders.

Brittany groans into Santana's neck, but places a final kiss there and pulls herself back up. "Why do you have to be so studious?" She asks playfully.

Santana just blushes, "sorry," she says shyly.

"Don't be." Brittany tells her with a shrug. She leans down kissing Santana quickly before sitting back up. "Nerds are super hot." She says in a low tone, giving Santana a mischievous grin.

Santana giggles and tries to fight off the blush. She sits up on the bed, when Brittany fully pulls away from her and stands up. "I guess that explains Artie though." Santana comments as if she'd just figured out a puzzle. Truthfully, she'd always wondered why someone as beautiful and sweet and amazing as Brittany would date someone so nerdy and douchey like Artie. Not that there is anything wrong with nerds, you just don't see it happen much. Especially not in high school. The popular girls don't mingle with the nerds normally.

Brittany frowns at the statement and Santana bites her lip.

"Sorry, I just completely ruined the moment." Santana says with a small chuckle. She leans forward and kisses Brittany quickly, "I'll go get my homework and bring it in here." She tells her before walking out of the room.

Brittany just smiles as she watches Santana walk out of her room. Her lips still tingling and her skin on fire from their make out session. Her heart is fluttering around in her chest and all she wants to do is jump up and down on her bed and giggle like a little middle school girl.

So she does.

**A/N: **I didn't even realize how long it had been since my last update until I went to update today! I'm sorry guys! But finals are officially over as well as school in general so that should help out! (:

Let me know what you thought of the chapter, I'm not so sure about it! Seemed a little off, but maybe it's just me. (:

Tumblr : o0H3ATH3RMICH3LL30o . tumblr. com


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